The Federal Judicial Conference Committee today issued a federal judges can now issue use to deter jurors from using social media such as , Facebook, LinkedIn or YouTube to research or communicate about cases on which they serve. The new guidelines provide detailed explanations of the consequences of social media use during a trial, along with recommendations for repeated reminders of the ban on social media usage, the committee said in a release.

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The update comes in response to a national survey of federal trial judges by the Federal Judicial Center that found that when juror use of social media was detected, it was most often through the report of a fellow juror. So the updated instructions to jurors by the presiding judge now pointedly note, "You can only discuss the case in the jury room with your fellow jurors during deliberations. I expect you will inform me as soon as you become aware of another juror's violation of these instructions."

"The overwhelming majority of judges take steps to warn jurors not to use social media during trial, but the judges surveyed said additional steps should be taken," said Judge Julie Robinson, the Conference Committee on Court Administration and Case Management (CACM) chair, in a statement. "The judges recommended that jurors frequently be reminded about the prohibition on social media before the trial, at the close of a case, at the end of each day before jurors return home, and other times, as appropriate. Jurors should be told why refraining from use of social media promotes a fair trial. Finally, jurors should know the consequences of violations during trial, such as mistrial and wasted time. Those recommendations are now part of the guidelines."

The guidelines look like this: