Judicial Twitter: Free Speech And Ethical Boundaries Of Judges Online
- IJLLR Journal
- Oct 2
- 1 min read
Mohd. Salim, Asst. Professor, Crescent School of Law, Chennai
ABSTRACT
The dawn of judicial presence on platforms such as Twitter/X broach a novel tension between the constitutional guarantee of free expression and the ethical imperatives of judicial office. While judges, as citizens, are entitled to the freedoms secured under Article 19(1)(a) of the Indian Constitution, their speech is necessarily constrained by the reasonable restrictions of Article 19(2), the constitutional demand of impartiality, and the normative weight of public confidence in the judiciary. This article interrogates the boundaries of judicial free speech in the digital age, situating the debate within the framework of the Restatement of Judicial Values (1997) and the Bangalore Principles of Judicial Conduct (2002), both of which remain silent on social media engagement. Drawing from comparative jurisprudence in the United States and the United Kingdom, where advisory opinions and disciplinary precedents illuminate the risks of online expression, the study identifies the dual possibilities of judicial Twitter: as a tool for transparency and legal literacy, and as a threat to impartiality, dignity, and the appearance of independence. Against this backdrop, the article argues for the formulation of a dedicated Judicial Social Media Code of Conduct in India, one that reconciles constitutional rights with institutional responsibility. By offering a structured policy model, it seeks to preserve the credibility of courts while enabling the judiciary to engage meaningfully with the public sphere in the digital era.
