Opinion ID: 2038479
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: People v Vargas

Text: Defendant was convicted after a jury trial of robbery in the first degree. He was tried three weeks after this Court decided People v Antommarchi (80 N.Y.2d 247, supra ). Before the jury selection process began, the Trial Judge expressed reluctance to hold any sidebars at all if the defendant insisted on presence at the Bench with a prospective juror, because that practice in the court's experience had resulted in the distinct uneasiness on the part of the juror. The court stated that unless the defendant waives his presence personally now, all questions will be put to the jurors in public, and the jurors will answer all questions in public. Defense counsel objected, arguing that exposing possibly sensitive questions to prospective jurors in public might lead to a situation where a juror has personal or very private information that they do not feel comfortable discussing in open court, and there also might be a hidden bias or other prejudice that the jurors would conceal. Nevertheless, given the trial court's reluctance to hold sidebars at all with defendant present at the Bench with a prospective juror, the defendant waived his right to be present on the record. The subsequent voir dire examination of prospective jurors included several sidebar conferences without defendant's presence, but with both sides' lawyers present and participating. The Appellate Division affirmed defendant's conviction, and a Judge of this Court granted defendant leave to appeal.