Can Australian judges keep their “friends” close and their ethical obligations closer? An analysis of the issues regarding Australian judges' use of social media

Social media has changed the way millions of people communicate. It is
possible that Australian judges may be using social media. Consequently,
there are important ethical questions to consider. These questions include:
should Australian judges be prevented from using social media, should they
be permitted to add counsel who appear before them as friends on social
media and, if so, is ex parte communication permissible. The article
discusses the answers to these questions, while applying current judicial
ethical resources in Australia and research published in this area in Canada,
the United States and the United Kingdom. Given how little research in
Australia there is about this topic to date, this article provides an important
step toward encouraging meaningful debate.