Judge refuses to release grand jury testimony in NYC police chokehold death of Eric Garner
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}FILE - In this Thursday, Feb. 5, 2015, file photo, state Supreme Court Judge William Garnett prepares to hear arguments regarding the release of the Eric Garner grand jury records, in the Staten Island borough of New York. Garnett has refused to release secret testimony heard by a grand jury that declined to indict a police officer in the chokehold death of Garner, saying the parties who brought the suit didn't make a good enough argument for releasing the minutes. (AP Photo/The Advance, Jan Somma-Hammel, Pool, File) (The Associated Press)
A New York judge has refused to release secret testimony heard by a grand jury that declined to indict a police officer in the chokehold death of Eric Garner.
The New York Civil Liberties Union and other agencies sought to make the evidence public following public outcry and calls for a reform of the grand jury system after the decision not to indict Officer Daniel Pantaleo in the July death. District Attorney Daniel Donovan argued that disclosing the information would damage the credibility of prosecutors seeking to assure both grand jurors and witnesses that details of their participation would be kept from public view.
State Supreme Court Justice William Garnett says the parties who brought the suit didn't make a good enough argument for releasing the minutes.