Looking for judicial love — or at least innocence — online

Facing a jury of one’s peers is a crucial part of the judicial process. Some famous criminal defendants, including Rod Blagojevich, the media-loving former governor of Illinois, are seeking peers on Twitter, Facebook and other online networks.

According to a story on ticklethewire.com, Bernard Kerik, a former New York City police commissioner, complained on Twitter from a district court in Washington last month about being indicted. And supporters have set up a group on Facebook in his honor. As of today, that group has 2,445 members to plead his case.

If you go to Kerik’s “official” MySpace page, you can read about his accomplishments and see a photo of him with then-President Bush at the site of 9/11.

The Ticklethewire.com report says the Associated Press picked up Kerik’s comments for its story about his pleading not guilty to lying to White House officials while being considered to lead the Department of Homeland Security. He also faces trials in New York state on tax and corruption charges.

Another famous New Yorker has enthusiastic supporters on Facebook: Bernie Madoff, who’s begun serving a 150-year prison sentence for financial scheming. His cunning draws admiration there.

Will such online activity keep defendants out of prison? Or get them sprung if convicted? Don’t count on it. But there’s more to life than freedom or incarceration:

He doesn’t talk about it, but baseball’s Barry Bonds probably would like to get into the Hall of Fame despite accusations of abusing steroids to set home run records at an age when most sluggers have slowed or retired. Could a public groundswell get him to Cooperstown?

You can find dozens of Facebook groups rooting for Bonds. His enemies have their own groups, though, some of which have names we can’t print here.

Rod Blagojevich has kept his personal Facebook page since being indicted and deposed as governor of Illinois. His profile photo shows his family posed in front of Christmas decorations. His most recent status update, from Sunday, promotes his radio show.

Another of his links, to a local news story, reports on how a U.S. district judge declined to lift bail restrictions to let him take part in a TV reality show in Costa Rica. Seems that prosecutors were worried that he wouldn’t come back to face political corruption charges.

July 30 UPDATE   From a comment about the news story in the previous paragraph, made to Blagojevich’s Facebook page: “I will continue my pro-bono defense for you on MySpace.”