DEFENDANT’S ABSENCE FROM AN IN CAMERA INTERVIEW WITH A JUROR CONCERNING POSSIBLE DISQUALIFICATION WAS NOT SHOWN TO HAVE HAD A SUBSTANTIAL EFFECT ON THE DEFENDANT’S ABILITY TO DEFEND AGAINST THE CHARGES (SECOND DEPT).
The Second Department determined defendant’s right to be present at all material stages of the trial was not violated by his absence from an in camera interview with a sworn juror about possible disqualification:
The defendant’s right to be present at all material stages of the trial was not violated by his absence from an in camera interview with a sworn juror, conducted in the presence of the prosecutor and defense counsel, to determine whether there was a possible juror disqualification. Although a defendant has a statutory right to be present at all material stages of the trial … , this right is only a qualified right where the proceedings involved are ancillary … . A conference to determine whether a sworn juror should be excluded … is an ancillary proceeding … . As such, the defendant’s presence is required only if it could have had “a substantial effect on [his or her] ability to defend against the charges” … , or “where defendant has something valuable to contribute” … Given that the issue of whether a seated juror is grossly unqualified is, generally, a legal determination… , and, given the circumstances presented here, there is no basis to conclude that the defendant’s presence at the in camera interview would have had a substantial effect on the defendant’s ability to defend against the charges, or that the defendant would have made a valuable contribution to the proceeding … . People v Robinson, 2018 NY Slip Op 05496, Second Dept 7-25-18
CRIMINAL LAW (DEFENDANT’S ABSENCE FROM AN IN CAMERA INTERVIEW WITH A JUROR CONCERNING POSSIBLE DISQUALIFICATION WAS NOT SHOWN TO HAVE HAD A SUBSTANTIAL EFFECT ON THE DEFENDANT’S ABILITY TO DEFEND AGAINST THE CHARGES (SECOND DEPT))/MATERIAL STAGE (CRIMINAL LAW, DEFENDANT’S ABSENCE FROM AN IN CAMERA INTERVIEW WITH A JUROR CONCERNING POSSIBLE DISQUALIFICATION WAS NOT SHOWN TO HAVE HAD A SUBSTANTIAL EFFECT ON THE DEFENDANT’S ABILITY TO DEFEND AGAINST THE CHARGES (SECOND DEPT))/JUROR DISQUALIFICATION DEFENDANT’S ABSENCE FROM AN IN CAMERA INTERVIEW WITH A JUROR CONCERNING POSSIBLE DISQUALIFICATION WAS NOT SHOWN TO HAVE HAD A SUBSTANTIAL EFFECT ON THE DEFENDANT’S ABILITY TO DEFEND AGAINST THE CHARGES (SECOND DEPT))