Case Name: The People of the State of New York, Respondent, v. Joseph Ferri, Defendant. Harry W. Moore, Appellant
Court: New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division
Jurisdiction: New York
Decision Date: 1915-10
Citations: 170 A.D. 944
Docket Number: 
Parties: The People of the State of New York, Respondent, v. Joseph Ferri, Defendant. Harry W. Moore, Appellant.
Judges: 
Reporter: Appellate Division Reports
Volume: 170
Pages: 944–945

Head Matter:
The People of the State of New York, Respondent, v. Joseph Ferri, Defendant. Harry W. Moore, Appellant.
Crime—allowance to defendant's assigned counsel.
Appeal by Harry W. Moore from an order of the Special Term, entered in the office of the clerk of the county of Massau on the 27th day of March, 1915, denying, for want of power, appellant’s application for counsel’s fees and disbursements for the defense of the defendant, indicted for murder in the first degree.

Opinion:
Per Curiam:
Under the Code of Criminal Procedure, section 808, the allowance to counsel assigned to defend one arraigned charged with a capital offense is to be on the certificate of the judge or justice " presiding at the trial or otherwise disposing of the indictment." In this case the justice who took the plea of guilty of murder in the second degree, which he afterwards let the defendant withdraw, did not dispose of the indictment, but left it to be tried on the substituted plea of not guilty. Doubtless the court in which the action was finally disposed of can make an allowance to duly assigned counsel for services in defense, even if only partial, and followed by substitution of other counsel, if the aggregate allowance does not exceed $500. But here the justice, who did not dispose of the indictment, rightly denied appellant's application for allowance for want of power. The order is, therefore, affirmed, but without costs. Jenks, P. J., Carr, Stapleton, Mills and Putnam, JJ., concurred. Order affirmed, without costs.