Perhaps in a sign of the times, the Texas Supreme Court made headlines with an order on how parties in a civil lawsuit can receive legal notifications or process, allowing for substituted service via social media in August. Ever since the courts permitted litigants to serve processes via email, the desire to serve the defendant’s social media accounts have sprouted up in a growing number of jurisdictions nationwide.

Service of process is a procedure by which one party (the plaintiff) in a lawsuit gives notice of the commencement of legal action to a party that is being sued (the defendant) so the court can exercise its jurisdiction on the latter.