How social media is affecting the Jodi Arias trial

How social media is affecting the Jodi Arias trial

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  • Jodi Arias case

  • The prosecutor in the Jodi Arias case has asked a judge to reject her attorneys' request to delay until next year the retrial of the penalty phase in her case.
    The prosecutor in the Jodi Arias case has asked a judge to reject her attorneys' request to delay until next year the retrial of the penalty phase in her case.
  • Attorneys for Jodi Arias have asked an Arizona judge to delay until next year a retrial of the penalty phase in her case to allow the convicted murderer time to gather witnesses to testify on her behalf.
    Attorneys for Jodi Arias have asked an Arizona judge to delay until next year a retrial of the penalty phase in her case to allow the convicted murderer time to gather witnesses to testify on her behalf.
  • Authorities plan to try again to secure the death penalty for convicted murderer Jodi Arias after jurors in her trial deadlocked last month on a sentence, the county's top prosecutor said Wednesday.
    Authorities plan to try again to secure the death penalty for convicted murderer Jodi Arias after jurors in her trial deadlocked last month on a sentence, the county's top prosecutor said Wednesday.
PHOENIX -

Social media has changed the way we interact, communicate and even the way our justice system works.

The Jodi Arias trial has become a social media phenomenon, with people sharing their opinions on Facebook, Twitter and even websites dedicated to her guilt/innocence.

Social media has changed the legal field in a variety of ways.

First, it complicates Arias' right to a fair trial if the jury is secretly following the case online. Although it's against the Sixth Amendment, jury members could easily find a way to access the Internet using their smart phones, tablets or computers.

It may seem impossible to track jurors' online actions, but there have been numerous criminal cases that have been thrown out because jurors were caught using social media and the Internet to research their cases.

On a positive note, a lot of evidence in Arias' case have been photos from Facebook, blogs written between her and Alexander and texts and e-mails. Lawyers are able to use social media to build stronger cases with evidence they didn't have before.

Attorney Brent Kleinman, with Kleinman Law Firm, weighs in.

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