Cellphone incident at abuse trial turns spotlight on electronic devices in Brooklyn courts
Cell phones, iPads and other similar electronic instruments have become commonplace in today’s society. They provide us with an ease and speed of communication and sharing never experienced before. With the click of a button, someone can take a video with his or her iPhone, for example, and stream the images in real-time to millions over the Internet via Facebook or Twitter.
This ease of use and unlimited access, however, has created problems in many U.S. courtrooms, and the issue of electronic communication has now found its way into Brooklyn’s courtrooms. In November, during the well-publicized and controversial sex abuse trial of Hasidic counselor Nechemya Weberman, a picture was taken of the accuser and posted on the Internet.
Four men were detained in connection with this presumed intimidation tactic. Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Hon. John Ingram, the judge presiding over the case, chided the men stating “this is on the Internet now, it’s probably streamed all over the world! What you have done … is take photos in the courtroom…” Justice Ingram advised the four men, who may be charged with criminal contempt, that they “might want to avail [themselves] of counsel.”