Commonwealth v. Lavoie

Four years after he was convicted of murder in the second degree, the defendant filed a motion for a new trial, claiming that his trial counsel had provided constitutionally ineffective assistance by failing to object to the closure of the courtroom during jury selection. The trial judge carefully considered the motion, conducting an evidentiary hearing that *547spanned two days and involved testimony from six witnesses.1 On April 2, 2009, the judge denied the motion in a detailed decision that did not have the benefit of significant appellate opinions that soon followed.2 As it turned out, the…