Matter of Reilly v. Berry

Cardozo, Ch. J.

The petitioner was assigned by the court as counsel for the defendant in a prosecution for murder in the first degree. Thereafter a certificate was granted by the judge presiding at the trial for the payment to counsel of compensation for services and expenses. Included in the expenses was an item of $55 paid to detectives who had been employed to investigate the character of a witness for the People and an item of $50 paid to jewelers who gave testimony as experts concerning the quality of a ring. The Comptroller declined to honor the certificate in so far as it called for the…