A group of judges and other members of the justice system is proposing a set of national guidelines that would throw the courts wide open to the use of social media.
   
There's currently a patchwork of policies among provinces, but the Canadian Centre for Court Technology's proposed guidelines go farther than them all.
   
It is suggesting that anyone attending an open court hearing be allowed to use electronic devices on silent or vibrate unless the judge says otherwise.
   
British Columbia and Saskatchewan both brought in new policies last month allowing ``accredited journalists'' and lawyers to use electronic devices in trial courts.
   
But the court technology centre is suggesting anyone with a smartphone be allowed to tweet from court, in line with the open courts principle.