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Askthejudge.info features regular updates from the news, important decisions from the nation′s courts, and online discussions with Judge Tom. Find out everything you need to know about youth rights, juvenile law and juvenile justice. AsktheJudge – Empowering youth one question at a time.

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Copyright, 2014
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June 11, 2014
Judge Tom
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1

Even judges go too far on Facebook

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Teenagers and young adults aren’t the only ones that need to think before posting something online. There have been plenty of stories in recent years of adults crossing the line or simply not thinking before hitting “Send.”

One such example happened to a Florida judge a few months ago. Judge Linda D. Schoonover was presiding over a contested divorce. Before reaching a final decision, she sent a “friend request” to the wife in the case. The wife spoke with her lawyer and decided to ignore the request.

Circuit Judge Linda Schoonover

Circuit Judge Linda Schoonover

The rules of judicial ethics bar judges from communicating with one party in a pending case and not all others. In other words all communications must be in the presence of both sides of the case, the lawyers representing the parties and preferably on the record (in the courtroom recorded by a court reporter or other device).

In Judge Schoonover’s case, the lawyer for the wife accused the judge of retaliating against her for not accepting her friend request. Schoonover ordered the wife to pay her ex-husband a high amount of alimony and finding that she was responsible for most of the marital debt. In January, 2014, a Florida court of appeals agreed that Schoonover should have removed herself from the case. She has since been replaced and hopefully learned from this incident.

Bottom line: “Think B4 U Send”

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Judge Tom

The Author Judge Tom

Judge Tom is the founder and moderator of AsktheJudge.info. He is a retired juvenile judge and spent 23 years on the bench. He has written several books for lawyers and judges as well as teens and parents including 'Teen Cyberbullying Investigated' (Free Spirit Publishing) and 'Every Vote Matters: the Power of Your Voice, from Student Elections to the Supreme Court' (Free Spirit Publishing). In 2020, the American Bar Association published "Cyberbullying Law," the nation's first case-law book written for lawyers, judges and law students. When he's not answering teens' questions, Judge Tom volunteers with the American Red Cross and can be found hiking, traveling and reading.

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