If the prosecution and the defense will be facing a tough legal battle on March 21, the grand jury is not spared from this dilemma. The most awaited trial will commence on March 21 where Barry Bonds, the home run king, will try to prove that he did not commit perjury when he told investigators that he did not knowingly used anabolic steroids. While he is confident that he can beat government prosecutors, the world of sports will be watching closely the development of this case because of its impact in the field of sports especially in baseball.

Jury’s Limitation

Before the selection of the jury, Bonds’ lawyer already filed proposed instructions that would at least limit the jury’s interaction with the outside world particularly the internet. The defense lawyers know that the internet can be a handy source of information about the case of their client. This could, in one way or another, influence the decision of the jury. “There is so much on the Internet about this case that it seemed prudent to be explicit about the limits of what people can and can’t do,” Allen Ruby, Bonds’ lead lawyer, told the Mercury News.

The defense will try to convince the court to prohibit these juries in using information technologies that could give them other information about the steroid perjury case of Barry Bonds. Further, they also want the court to penalize those who will not follow the guidelines by contempt, jail or imposing fines.

Social Media Banned

Bonds’ lawyers consider the social media as a powerful threat in the grand jury’s unbiased decision. They already outlined some of the social media sites which should not be used by the juries like Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace. It also include communicating via telephone, email, instant messaging, Blackberry messaging, the use of iPhones and iTouches. The use of search engines such as Google and Yahoo should not be allowed. The lawyers believe that these can be used in searching information about Barry Bonds. And lastly, the lawyers want the court to prohibit the juries from using any other form of electronic communication for any purpose whatsoever.

Legal experts say that these requests are too much but the court may grant some of them because judges around the country already adopted similar instructions. This will help jurors avoid posting on social media sites their comments or reactions about a certain case. Judge Susan Illston already barred some material evidences in Barry Bonds’ case like the alleged positive test for steroids and other records that relate to the baseball slugger’s use of steroids. If a jury search in the internet, these information will come out which can alter the decision of the jury.

Voice Mails

Meanwhile, Bonds’ lawyers also tried to bar the introduction of voice mails he sent to his former girlfriend Kimberly Bell. The prosecution will use the recordings to show that the short tempered Bonds was into steroids. They believe it was a side effect of steroid use but the defense argued it doesn’t prove that Bonds used a performance enhancing drug. Judge Susan Illston will hear the arguments of both sides on March 17.

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