In November 2016, Slovic, who was working as a freelance journalist, asked Portland Public Schools to provide a list of employees who were currently on paid administrative leave. She often requested and received this type of information, but this particular request was summarily denied. A similar request by PPS parent and Oregon Board of Education member Kim Sordyl was also rejected.

Statistically speaking, most Americans end up in a courtroom at some point during their lives. Even if you’re not among the nearly 80 million individuals in the FBI’s criminal database, you may have to appear before a judge for traffic violations, divorce and child custody matters, non-payment of debts, and other civil lawsuits—or at the very least, you’ll be called to serve on a jury.

That’s why it’s helpful to educate yourself on common legal terms. It’s nerve-racking enough to receive a court summons, but not understanding the terminology used in your case can make it even more difficult, especially if you’re not hiring a lawyer to represent you.

Increasingly, court cases are using social media to gather evidence. As criminal lawyer Brooke Winter said, “There is no such thing as a private conversation on social media.”

The Tinder Murder Case

You might have already read about the Gable Tostee case. It was a Tinder date gone astray in Australia that ended in death. In 2014, 26-year-old Warriena Wright matched with 28-year-old Gable Tostee on Tinder. The two flirted over text conversations, then met for the first time on August 8, 2014. They met up at a mall and went back to Tostee’s apartment. At 2 a.m., Wright fell 14 stories to her death.