Preview

Kutafin Law Review

Advanced search

Disciplinary Measures Consequent on the Judges’ Misuse of Social Media in Jordanian and French Legislation: A Difficult Balance between Freedom of Expression and Restrictions on Judicial Ethics

https://doi.org/10.17803/2713-0533.2023.2.25.681-719

Abstract

This article deals with the disciplinary measure’s consequent on judges’ misuse of social media in Jordan and France. In fact, the research aims at approaching the disciplinary measures consequent on the judges’ misusing the social media and stating at the cases that constitute a breach against the judicial job duties for which the issue of the study is in the extent of allowance of granting the judges the freedom to use social media and the extent to which judges publish their professional achievements, disclose their job information, comment on public opinion cases published on social media and participate in analysis and discussion. Yet, this study adopted the applied methodology for the variety of the legislations that have been different in dealing with sections and topics falling under this subject. In fact, the study concluded with several findings and recommendations, the most important of which is the necessity of subjecting judges in Jordan to adequate training on ethical principles to exercise basic freedoms, both in relation to their profession and in activities outside the scope of the profession while that this training shall include, in particular, practical guidance on the use of social media and the need to involve judges in Jordan when setting legislation and ethical standards related to the exercise of fundamental freedoms and political rights within the framework of an open and transparent process, taking into consideration the existing international standards related to the exercise of fundamental freedoms and the jurisprudence of courts as well as the regional human rights mechanisms. 

About the Author

T. Al-Billeh
Applied Science Private University
Jordan

PhD (Public Law), Assistant Professor, Faculty of Law,
Applied Science Private University; Practicing Lawyer, Amman



References

1. Abdel Qader, T., (2012). The Restrictions on the Judge’s Freedom of Expression and the Dissenting Opinion Expressing an Applied Study. In: The Constitutional Judiciary. PhD Thesis, Cairo University, Egypt, Cairo.

2. Al-Ajarmah, N., (2007). The Authority to Discipline the Public Employee: a Comparative Study. Jordan, Amman: House of Culture for Publishing and Distribution.

3. Al-Banna, F., (2013). The Risks of Misusing the Internet. Journal of Money and Trade, 1, pp. 527–540.

4. Al-Bayati, B., (2015). The Violations of the Right to Freedom of Expression: a Special Study on Electronic Blogging. Journal of the College of Law, 17(2), pp. 29–90. Available at: https://www.iasj.net/iasj/download/9cea0c7f99c7c58c [Accessed 03.02.2023].

5. Al-Billeh, T., (2022a). The Correction of the Invalidity of the Civil Trials Procedures in Jordanian and Egyptian Legislation: The Modern Judicial Trends. Kutafin Law Review, 9(3), pp. 486–510, doi: 10.17803/2713-0525.2022.3.21.486-510.

6. Al-Billeh, T., (2022b). Freedom of Religious Belief and the Practice of Religious Rites According to the Jordanian Legislation: Difficult Balance between International and Regional Requirements as well as the National Legislative Controls. Balkan Social Science Review, 20, pp. 117–137. Available at: https://js.ugd.edu.mk/index.php/BSSR/article/view/5503/4660 [Accessed 03.02.2023].

7. Al-Billeh, T., (2022c). Legal Controls of the Crime of Publishing a Program on the Internet in Jordanian Legislation. Pakistan Journal of Criminology, 14 (1), pp. 1–14. Available at: http://www.pjcriminol-ogy.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/1 [Accessed 03.02.2023].

8. Al-Dala’in, E., (2019). The Freedom of Opinion and Expression in International Conventions and Jordanian Legislation: a Comparative Study. Master’s thesis, Middle East University, Jordan, Amman.

9. Al-Daqqaq, I., (1976). The Media Freedom. Al-Thaqafa Journal, 6(5), pp. 1–19.

10. Al-Hilali, H., (2018). Freedom of Opinion and Expression between International Charters and National Legislation: a Case Study of Some Egyptian Legislation under the 1971 and 2014 Constitutions. Journal of the Faculty of Economics and Political Science, 19(3), pp. 101–128. Available at: https://journals.ekb.eg/article_128803_bdab25626ea6dd6a04a3d56537b0c224.pdf [Accessed 03.02.2023].

11. Alnoaimy, A.B., (2019). Control of the Illegal Content of Social Media in UAE and Comparative Law. Alrafidain of Law Journal, 19(17), pp. 259–294. Available at: https://alaw.mosuljournals.com/pdf_16146 1_63995d244be1412b56106ff6193759be.html [Accessed 03.02.2023].

12. Al-Qaisi, N., (2017). The Impact of Disciplinary Guarantees for Judges in Promoting the Principle of Independence of the Judiciary (A Comparative Study). Dirasat: Shari’a and Law Sciences, 44(1), pp. 271–293. Available at: https://eservices.ju.edu.jo/SLS/Article/FullText/11269?volume=44&issue=1 [Accessed 03.02.2023].

13. Al-Safadi, T., (2019). The Criminal Liability for the Misuse of Social Media: a Comparative Analytical Study in the Light of Modern Legal Systems and Islamic Law. Master’s thesis, Islamic University, Jordan, Amman.

14. Al-Tamimi, T., (2020). The Arabic Judicial Traditions, and How to Deal with Social Media. Doha: Center for Legal and Judicial Studies.

15. Ben Azza, H., (2015). The Legal Regulation of Freedom of Audiovisual Media in Algerian Legislation. Master’s thesis, Abu Bakr Belkaid University, Algeria. Boothe-Perry, N., (2014). Friends of Justice: Does Social Media Impact the Public Perception of the Justice System? Pace Law Review, 35, pp. 72–115, doi: 10.58948/2331-3528.1876.

16. Browning, J., (2014). Why Can’t We Be Friends? Judges’ Use of Social Media. University of Miami Law Review, 68, pp. 487–534. Available at: https://lawreview.law.miami.edu/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Why-Cant-We-Be-Friends-Judges-Use-of-Social-Media.pdf [Accessed 03.02.2023].

17. Cooper, B., (2017). Judges and Social Media: Disclosure as Disinfectant. Science & Technology Law Review, 17, pp. 521–539. Available at: https://scholar.smu.edu/scitech/vol17/iss4/5 [Accessed 03.02.2023].

18. El Moumni, N., (2019). Use of Social Media by Judges: Pertaining Definitions and Regulations: A Normative View from the Moroccan Context. In: Impartiality of Judges and Social Media: Approaches, Regulations and Results, Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung. Pp. 25–30. Available at: https://www.kas.de/documents/265308/265357/Impartiality+of+Judges+and+Social+Media.pdf/eb313aed-88ca-c677-4231-d84c02ee914c?version=1.0&t=1591861554477 [Accessed 03.02.2023].

19. Eltohamy, S., (2016). Guarantee of Harm Caused by Abuse of Social Media: A Study in UAE Law. Journal of Legal and Economic Research, 59, pp. 251–287. Available at: https://journals.ekb.eg/article_156665_263d48686bad588b0dadac691ba8a178.pdf [Accessed 03.02.2023].

20. Ezzat, A., (2012). The Freedoms of Expression and the New Constitution. Egypt, Cairo: Freedom of Thought and Expression Foundation. Fisher, K., (2019). Judicial Ethics in a World of Social Media. In: Impartiality of Judges and Social Media: Approaches, Regulations and Results: Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung. Pp. 7–13. Available at: https://www.kas.de/documents/265308/265357/Impartiality+of+Judges+and+Social+Media.pdf/eb313aed-88ca-c677-4231-d84c02ee914c?version=1.0&t=1591861554477 [Accessed 03.02.2023].

21. Gibson, J., (2016). Social Media and the Electronic New World of Judges. International Journal for Court Administration, 7(2), pp. 1–9, doi: 10.18352/ijca.199.

22. Hajjar, W., (2017). The Legal System of Social Media WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter: A Comparative Legal Study on Privacy, Personal Freedom, Liability and Jurisdiction. Lebanon, Beirut: The Arab Center for Legal and Judicial Research.

23. Jahn, J., (2019). The Use of Social Media by Judges in Germany. In: Impartiality of Judges and Social Media: Approaches, Regulations and Results: Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung. Pp. 40–49. Available at: https://www.kas.de/documents/265308/265357/Impartiality+of+Judges+and+Social+Media.pdf/eb313aed-88ca-c677-4231-d84c02ee914c?version=1.0&t=1591861554477 [Accessed 03.02.2023].

24. Katrina, L., (2019). Your Honor on Social Media: The Judicial Ethics of Bots and Bubbles. Nevada Law Journal, 19(3), pp. 789–822. Available at: https://scholars.law.unlv.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1794&context=nlj [Accessed 03.02.2023].

25. Krawitz, M., (2014). An Examination of Social Media’s Impact on the Courts in Australia. PhD Thesis, University in Perth, Western Australia. Available at: https://researchrepository.murdoch.edu.au/id/eprint/23839/1/whole.pdf [Accessed 03.02.2023].

26. Kurita, M.S., (2017). Electronic Social Media: Friend or Foe for Judges. St. Mary’s Journal on Legal Malpractice & Ethics, 7, pp. 184–237. A vailable at: https://commons.stmarytx.edu/lmej/vol7/iss2/3 [Accessed 03.02.2023].

27. Lackey, M. and Minta, J., (2012). Lawyers and Social Media: The Legal Ethics of Tweeting, Facebooking and Blogging. Touro Law Review, 28(1), pp. 149–182. Available at: https://digitalcommons.tourolaw.edu/lawreview/vol28/iss1/7 [Accessed 03.02.2023].

28. Mahmoud, A. and Chiha, I., (2020). The Judge and Social Media: A Balance between the Judge’s Freedom of Expression and His Independence and Impartiality. The International Journal of Law, 9(1), pp. 97–163. Available at: https://qspace.qu.edu.qa/bitstream/handle/10576/17256/1688-Article%20Text-1758-2-10-20201205.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y [Accessed 03.02.2023].

29. Malkawi, B., (2008). The Scientific Origins of Writing Legal Research. PhD and Master’s Theses, Bar Association Research, Judicial Institute Research and Student Research, Conferences and Seminars. Jordan, Amman: Dar Wael for Publishing and Distribution.

30. McPeak, A., (2019). The Internet Made Me Do It: Reconciling Social Media and Professional Norms for Lawyers, Judges, and Law Professors. Idaho Law Review, 55(2), pp. 204–232. Available at: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3418088 [Accessed 03.02.2023].

31. Mufleh, Y. and Al-Thneibat, M., (2017). The Disciplinary Responsibility for the Judge under Law Jordanian Independence the Judgment No. 29 of 2014. Journal of Legal and Political Sciences, 7(2), pp. 210–244. Available at: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1UgEr6eebyn0G7GeKVHjfwE9E9JaDq29m/view [Accessed 03.02.2023].

32. Nushi, Z. and Al-Rubei, B., (2017). Social Media Networks and Freedom of Expression of Individual Rights and Social Diversity. Al-Bahith Al-A’alami Journal, 9(38), pp. 37–66. Available at: https://abaa.uobaghdad.edu.iq/index.php/abaa/article/view/87/39 [Accessed 03.02.2023].

33. Saadoun, A., (2017). The Judges’ Posts on Social Media between Freedom of Expression and Reservation Obligation: a View on Some Arab Experiences. Legal Agenda, 8, pp. 22–23. Available at: https://legal-agenda.com/wp-content/uploads/LA-TUNIS-08.pdf [Accessed 03.02.2023].

34. Schmidt, J., (2019). The Professional Law Governing the Private (Social) Media Statements of Judges in Germany. In: Impartiality of Judges and Social Media: Approaches, Regulations and Results, Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung. Pp. 34–39. Available at: https://www.kas.de/documents/265308/265357/Impartiality+of+Judges+and+Social+Media.pdf/eb313aed-88ca-c677-4231-d84c02ee914c?version=1.0&t=1591861554477 [Accessed 03.02.2023].

35. Singh, S., (2016). Friend Request Denied: Judicial Ethics and Social Media. Journal of Law, Technology & the Internet, 7, pp. 153–174. Available at: https://scholarlycommons.law.case.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1099&context=jolti [Accessed 03.02.2023].

36. Somers, M., (2019). Judicial Ethics in a World of Social Media: The Impartiality Principle and Judges Online: Too Dangerous to Speak, Too Dangerous Not To? In: Impartiality of Judges and Social Media: Approaches, Regulations and Results: Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung. Pp. 14–18. Available at: https://www.kas.de/documents/265308/265357/Impartiality+of+Judges+and+Social+Media.pdf/eb313aed-88ca-c677-4231-d84c02ee914c?version=1.0&t=1591861554477 [Accessed 03.02.2023].

37. Zaghdoudi, A., (2019). Online Freedom of Expression of Judges in Tunisia. In: Impartiality of Judges and Social Media: Approaches, Regulations and Results: Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung. Pp. 30–33. Available at: https://www.kas.de/documents/265308/265357/Impartiality+of+Judges+and+Social+Media.pdf/eb313aed-88ca-c677-4231-d84c02ee914c?version=1.0&t=1591861554477 [Accessed 03.02.2023].


Review

For citations:


Al-Billeh T. Disciplinary Measures Consequent on the Judges’ Misuse of Social Media in Jordanian and French Legislation: A Difficult Balance between Freedom of Expression and Restrictions on Judicial Ethics. Kutafin Law Review. 2023;10(3):681-719. https://doi.org/10.17803/2713-0533.2023.2.25.681-719

Views: 1059


Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.


ISSN 2713-0525 (Print)
ISSN 2713-0533 (Online)