The ruling, which came out on November 17, stated that online friendships among judges and lawyers could create an impression that they are being influenced with their decisions.

The committee has also pointed that it is not singling out Facebook with the ruling, pointing that it is applicable to all social networking websites.

“Although Facebook has been the number example in the opinion of the committee, the ruling applies to any social networking site that requires members to approve their friends’ list or make any contact with a particular member using the website,” the committee said.

At least one Florida judge has warned her friends through her status update in Facebook, saying that she hade already removed lawyers on her list. The judge has also advised other judges to do the same.

Meanwhile, the committee has no final say on whether other judges can post comments on their colleagues’ websites during judicial elections or can judges be allowed to have “fans,” which include lawyers during the event.

Florida Supreme Court Spokesperson Craig Waters said that the High Court has the final say on the issue, adding that they can issue a mandate on the ruling. But he stressed that most of the judges will most likely to follow the decision to caution themselves from the preying eye of the public.

Meanwhile, Pinellas County Sixth Judicial Circuit Chief Judge Thomas McGrady said that he clearly understood the decision of the committee, saying that judges should always appear impartial.

The judge also said the being friends with lawyers could potentially bring conflict of interests, saying that it is the main reason why he doesn’t have a Facebook page.

He said that he has already sent a copy of the ruling to some 69 judges under his circuit.

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In a statement, Florida Bar Executive Director Michele Gavagni said that the move is a part of the traditional background check of the board, which has been implemented for the last 50 years.

She added that checking social networking accounts of the applicants is the last step in the process and will determine if they are fit to be a Florida attorney.

“By checking the social networking accounts of the applicants, we can see in these areas if these people lacked in candor in the regular application process and in their law schools. Usually people’s mental fitness can be shown in social network platforms like Facebook and MySpace. And we can get a closer look into this kind of postings and see if they are fit to be one of the practicing attorneys in our state,” Gavagni said.

The executive director also said that the board reserves the right to dig up web postings in the applicants’ Facebook and MySpace accounts in a case-by-case basis.

“Job applicants, much like the law students who want practice law in Florida, should be aware of the consequences of their postings in social networking sites. We want these students to know that we’re going to look at these types of posting so that they will not have any complications during the application process,” she said.

Aside from character check, the Florida Bar also bared plans of “routinely” investigate the webpages of the attorneys and applicants who has a history of practicing the profession without a license, substance abuse, or even individuals who were reportedly involved in any organization that calls for the overthrowing of the US government.

Earlier, President Barack Obama warned students and other people to be careful on what they are posting in the Internet, saying that these posting or images may backfire against them when they go looking for jobs.

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