Family Life

05.29.12 | Sarah Harnisch

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court will decide if text messages are admissible evidence in a courtroom. The state's highest court has agreed to hear arguments in the case of a central Pennsylvania woman convicted of drug offenses, largely on the strength of evidence built by police, who intercepted 13 messages containing drug deals. A state appeals court ruled last year there was too much uncertainty about the author of the messages. Attorneys say the question is "should new technology be allowed in court?" While email can be sent and received from virtually any computer or device connected to the Internet, text messages are associated with a single phone, but the phone can be used by more then one person, and without permission.