Opinion ID: 613588
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Facts and State Court Proceedings

Text: Downs was arrested and indicted for robbing an auto body shop in 2003. His jury trial in New York State Supreme Court lasted six days. This appeal focuses solely on what happened at the start of the second day of Downs's trial when immediately after jury selection, but just before opening statements, the government and Downs's counsel attended an off-the-record court conference. Although we have no transcript of what occurred during the conference, no one disputes that the trial judge excluded Downs's twelve-year-old brother, Nathaniel Clarke, from the courtroom. The lack of a transcript prevents us from knowing if the trial court justified the exclusion or considered alternatives. Our only record evidence of what transpired comes from the following statement by Downs's counsel in open court after the off-the-record conference: I do want to note for the record that there was a young man who, a family member of the defendant who had been asked by the Court to leave because of his age. He is 12 years old and the Court is indicating that it sets a limit of approximately 16 or 17 years of age. I informed the family of that and I'm sure they will comply. However, I do want to note, for the record, that I believe the young man is a suitable age and that he would not have been an obstruction to the proceedings. But be that as it may, I have also spoken to the assistant district attorney earlier to apprise her of the following list of things that I believe that I am entitled to and have not yet received.... Counsel made no other statement about Downs's brother or his exclusion; he failed specifically to ask that the judge give reasons for the exclusion or to solicit comment from the judge or the prosecutor, neither of whom interrupted or responded to counsel's statement. After trial, Downs was convicted of robbery, burglary, and criminal mischief, and sentenced principally to eight years' imprisonment. He appealed to the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, arguing that his Sixth Amendment right to a public trial was violated because the trial judge closed the courtroom to Clarke without making findings to support the exclusion as required by Waller v. Georgia, 467 U.S. 39, 104 S.Ct. 2210, 81 L.Ed.2d 31 (1984). The Appellate Division never reached the merits of Downs's Sixth Amendment claim, however, because it found that [t]he defendant's claim that he was denied the right to a public trial by the court's request that a 12-year old boy be removed from the courtroom is unpreserved for appellate review. People v. Downs, 34 A.D.3d 596, 825 N.Y.S.2d 103, 103 (2d Dep't 2006). Downs's application for leave to appeal to the New York Court of Appeals was denied. People v. Downs, 8 N.Y.3d 880, 832 N.Y.S.2d 492, 864 N.E.2d 622 (Table) (2007).