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35 Pace L. Rev. 192 (2014-2015)
#Snitches Get Stitches: Witness Intimidation in the Age of Facebook and Twitter

handle is hein.journals/pace35 and id is 196 raw text is: #Snitches Get Stitches: Witness Intimidation in the Age of Facebook and Twitter John Browning* I. Introduction As long as there are trials and witnesses, there will be the problem of witness intimidation. It is a problem that undermines the functioning of the justice system by denying crucial evidence to law enforcement and prosecutors while simultaneously eroding the public's confidence in the government's ability to protect its citizens. Intimidation can be case-specific, in which threats or violence are directed to dissuade a victim or witness from testifying in a particular case, or community-wide, in which conduct by gangs or organized crime is intended to foster a general atmosphere of fear or noncooperation within a given neighborhood or community. While recent statistics on the subject are somewhat lacking, back in 1995 the National Institute for Justice noted estimates by prosecutors that victim and witness intimidation was suspected in up to 75-100% of the violent crimes committed in some gang-dominated neighborhoods.1 * John Browning is a Shareholder at Passman & Jones in Dallas, Texas, where he handles civil litigation in state and federal courts. Mr. Browning received his Bachelor of Arts with general and departmental honors from Rutgers University and his Juris Doctor from the University of Texas School of Law. He is the author of the books The Lawyer's Guide to Social Networking, Understanding Social Media's Impact on the Law, (West 2010), the Social Media and Litigation Practice Guide (West 2014); and Cases & Materials on Social Media and the Law (forthcoming, Carolina Academic Press), as well as numerous articles on social media and the law. He has been quoted as a leading authority on social media and the law by such publications as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, TIME magazine, The National Law Journal, Law 360, and Inside Counsel magazine. Mr. Browning serves as an adjunct law professor at SMU Dedman School of Law, Texas A&M University School of Law and Texas Tech University School of Law. 1. Kerry Murphy Healey, Victim and Witness Intimidation: New

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