The Massachusetts judge deciding the fate of a British au pair convicted of murder is setting a national precedent by using the Internet exclusively to release his ruling, legal experts say.
"It's unprecedented to use the Internet as the exclusive method of publishing a decision," said David Hambouger, American Bar Association director of technology."There are plenty of courts that use the Internet to release their rulings concurrently with printed copies, but I've never heard of this before," he said. "He is setting a precedent by doing this."
Middlesex County Superior Court Judge Hiller Zobel decided his decision on 19-year-old British au pair Louise Woodward would be issued via the Internet to avoid "the usual media circus" at the courthouse in Cambridge, court sources said.
His ruling will be initially posted only by electronic mail and on the Internet.
"Many of my friends have asked me if this is legal," Hambouger said. "I tell them that pretty much anything a judge does is legal."
National Law Journal Technology Editor Wendy Leibowitz said: "More and more court opinions are being posted on Web sites, many the same day, certainly the same week."
She noted the U.S. Supreme Court regularly posts its decisions to the Internet.
The ruling will not be released until Monday at the earliest.