Restricting lawyers to five minutes of juror questioning in a criminal case where a popular radio host was the victim did not allow sufficient time for defense attorneys to explore potential bias and requires a new trial, the New York Court of Appeals ruled yesterday in a 5-2 decision.
Acting Supreme Court Justice Ruth Pickholtz in Manhattan abused her discretion by following her “usual five-minute rule” for questioning each panel of 16 prospective jurors despite the complexity of a case in which “a significant number” of venire members revealed that they, or someone close to them, had been a crime victim and several others indicated familiarity with the victim, Judge Victoria A. Graffeo wrote in People v. Steward, 108.
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