Top UK judge: No ban on Twitter in court

[December 20, 2010]  LONDON (AP) -- It's the tweet smell of success for courtroom microbloggers.

The head of the judiciary in England and Wales has ruled that there is no ban on using Twitter in court.

Lord Chief Justice Igor Judge said Monday that the use of "unobtrusive, hand held, virtually silent" equipment to give live text updates is unlikely to interfere with the administration of justice.

Cameras and recording equipment are barred in British courts, but Twitter has been a gray area.

Last week a judge allowed journalists to tweet from a bail hearing for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange -- the first time it had been expressly permitted. But two days later the judge at another hearing said tweeting was barred.

Judge says final rules will be issued after a consultation process.

[Associated Press]

Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.