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IT WAS REVERSIBLE ERROR TO EMPANEL AN ANONYMOUS JURY; ALTHOUGH THE ERROR WAS NOT PRESERVED, NEW TRIAL GRANTED IN THE INTEREST OF JUSTICE (THIRD DEPT).

The Third Department, reversing defendant’s assault-related convictions and ordering a new trial, determined it was error to empanel an anonymous jury:

… [C]onsistent with our recent holding in People v Heidrich (226 AD3d 1096 [3d Dept 2024]), we find merit to defendant’s contention that County Court’s empaneling of an anonymous jury in his case was in error. We again note that the practice of empaneling an anonymous jury contains no statutory justification, as CPL 270.15 (1-a) merely permits the withholding of residential or business addresses of prospective jurors upon a showing of good cause … . While the Court of Appeals has not explicitly sanctioned the practice, it has suggested that, at the very least, “doing so is error where no ‘factual predicate for the extraordinary procedure’ has been shown” … . To that end, the People concede, and we agree, that the record contains no factual support for utilizing an anonymous jury in this case. Instead, the People focus their arguments on defendant’s failure to preserve the issue by consenting to the practice, alongside the contention that the error was, in any event, harmless. On the latter point, we need only note that we recently rejected the applicability of a harmless error analysis to this manner of error … . As to preservation, although defendant concedes his failure to object during pretrial proceedings, he asks that we take corrective action in the interest of justice (see CPL 470.15 [6] [a] …) Considering the totality of circumstances, including the potential effect on the fairness of trial that flows from the decision to utilize an anonymous jury without any justification … , we find such action is appropriate. We therefore exercise our interest of justice jurisdiction and grant defendant a new trial. People v Tenace, 2024 NY Slip Op 03784, Third Dept 7-11-24

Practice Point: Absent factual support for the procedure in the record, it is reversible error to empanel an anonymous jury.​

 

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