People v. Towndrow
Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York
1Opinion of the Court
OPINION OF THE COURT
2Per curiam
We write to state unequivocally our disapproval of the reasonable doubt instruction given by the trial court. In each of the three cases before us, the court gave an instruction on reasonable doubt that, in its totality, failed to convey to the jury the correct rule of law to be applied in reaching its verdict (see, People v Canty, 60 NY2d 830, 832), and deprived defendant of a fair trial by diluting the People’s burden of proof (see, People v Geddes, 186 AD2d 993; People v Garcia, 179 AD2d 1047, 1048). The court gave the objectionable instruction in each case despite our…
3Cases cited23 opinions
- People v. DokesNew York Court of Appeals · 1992
- People v. CantyNew York Court of Appeals · 1983
- Duffy v. Horton Memorial HospitalNew York Court of Appeals · 1985
- People v. PriceAppellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York · 1988
- People v. BeasleyNew York Court of Appeals · 1992
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4Cited by16 opinions
- James Beverly v. Hans Walker, Superintendent of Auburn Correctional FacilityCourt of Appeals for the Second Circuit · 1997
- People v. ParisAppellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York · 1996
- People v. FreemanAppellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York · 1993
- People v. StokesAppellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York · 1993
- People v. BrownAppellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York · 1993
11 more not listed; retrieve them via the Exa API.