(AP) ? Relatives and friends of the grandmother and stepmother charged with running a 9-year-old girl to death as a punishment have been defending and attacking the women on Facebook and in at least one case nearly divulging what could be considered evidence. [...] experts say the hundreds of messages posted online since Savannah Hardin died in February show the legal system has yet to catch up with the social media explosion. [...] judges routinely admonish jurors not to read about a particular case online. [...] in Idaho, the Prosecuting Attorneys Association has advises prosecutors to avoid social media relationships that could create ethical problems ? including being Facebook friends with judges ? and never to talk about their cases online. Ogletree's warning didn't slow down the social media chatter, and law professors said it's unlikely a judge could do that anyway because Facebook posts are a bit like people talking on the courthouse steps. Steven Hobbs, a law professor at the University of Alabama, said attorneys don't generally have a duty to police comments by relatives and friends of people involved in criminal cases.
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