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LOS ANGELES, California (Reuters) -- California
prosecutors took the unusual step of setting up a Web site on the Michael
Jackson case to alleviate a media frenzy and, in doing so, triggered a debate
on use of the Web within the legal community. Some legal experts said that posting documents detailing the
criminal charges against the 45-year-old entertainer was a breakthrough for
public access. Others countered that it would undermine the spirit of the law
and court proceedings, creating even more of a circus-like atmosphere. Over the last five years, the Web has often been used to spin the
views of one side or another in sensational civil cases, like the Microsoft
class-action case. But lawyers and law professors said it was rare for a governmental
prosecuting attorney's office to set up a Web site devoted entirely to a
particular criminal case. Many said they expect it to become a trend, and, while a
specialized Web site appears to be an anomaly in criminal cases, media-hounded
prosecutors in other high-profile cases like the Kobe Bryant rape case and the
upcoming Scott Peterson murder trial have also put links on their Web sites to
documents. "The Web has been such a driver of information in civil
cases, it has really changed defense tactics. The legal battles that now go on
over the Web are not insubstantial," said Katrina Dewey, editor of the LA
Daily Journal legal newspaper. "And now, this [trend] just moved it into the criminal
arena," she said, referring to the Jackson Web site set up by the Santa
Barbara County District Attorney Tom Sneddon at (www.sbscpressinfo.org). To be sure, loads of court case data has long been available on
the Web and the legal profession has changed dramatically with the Web's
emergence. People can stay abreast of changes in the law or government agency
regulations by using various Web services, like (www.watchthatpage.com) which
collects data from sites a lawyer or anyone might have special interest in. Lawyers, journalists and the general public can also get news fed
to them with software that scans major legal Web sites and legal online
newsletters or Web logs, or blogs, for short. Law-related blogs -- known as "blawgs" -- have sprung up
with the rise of the blogging self-publishing trend in general. Popular blawgs
include an appellate court site at (www.appellateblog.blogspot.com). Some law firms create blogs for the sole purpose of making data
available to the general public, like the There are a variety of specialist legal sites, including Doug
Isenberg's Internet and patent technology law site, GigaLaw.com. Nolo Press of
Berkeley, California, offers a variety of resources for do-it-yourself lawyers
at www.nolo.com. Other popular court news Web sites include (www.thesmokinggun.com)
and (www.crimelibrary.com), both of which are owned by the CourtTV.com
television network. Many To get familiar with what various federal courts have online, go
to (www.uscourts.gov). But while many law professors said the Internet is a great
learning and research tool, some hold more traditional views when it comes to
using it as a forum during an ongoing trial. "Many documents are available online through the courts, but
there involves a process in getting them," said William Weston, who is an
associate dean and professor of Concord Law School, the nation's first
all-online law school where students can earn a law degree wholly via the
Internet. In fact, to most people unfamiliar with legalese, reading
documents online is like reading Greek. In the Weston said he was concerned that people may be compelled to
download the documents, editorialize and then spread them further around the
Web. "When you throw details out on the Internet, it diminishes
the dignity of the court. It now puts the case in the court of public
opinion," said Weston.
Jen -- |
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