Rape case judge to review victim's Facebook posts as social media, privacy aired in court

A New Jersey judge has ordered a teen who accused a man of rape to turn over access to her Facebook page.

The case is another example of social media's growing use in courtrooms and the resulting privacy concerns.

Mercer County Superior Court Judge Robert Billmeier agreed to a request from David Stevens-Parker's defense attorney this week.

The judge says he will privately review two weeks of Facebook postings for any comments related to the alleged rape before deciding whether any can be used in court.

Wendy Patrick is a prosecutor and former chairwoman of the California state bar ethics committee. She says social media content is used all of the time in court as the Internet has become a confessional.

A prosecutor says the teen victim is willing to turn over her account information.