Thanks to the blog Social Media Law Student for the heads-up about the announcement from the New Jersey judiciary that it is adopting an array of social-media tools to keep lawyers, litigants and the public better informed of court developments.

The court system now has a Twitter feed and uses text messages to send out breaking news alerts. These cover unscheduled court closings and other high priority information. The courts also now have three RSS feeds — one for news releases, one for notices to the bar, and a third for Supreme and Appellate Court opinions.

In addition, the court system has set up a Facebook page, where it will post press releases, court information and photos of court events, and a YouTube page, where it will post videos that offer lessons in using the courts.

Photo of Bob Ambrogi Bob Ambrogi

Bob is a lawyer, veteran legal journalist, and award-winning blogger and podcaster. In 2011, he was named to the inaugural Fastcase 50, honoring “the law’s smartest, most courageous innovators, techies, visionaries and leaders.” Earlier in his career, he was editor-in-chief of several legal publications, including The National Law Journal, and editorial director of ALM’s Litigation Services Division.