People v. Serrano

OPINION OF THE COURT

Memorandum.

The order of the Appellate Division should be affirmed. The trial court did not abuse its discretion by calling 44 people for simultaneous voir dire questioning.

Defendant was arrested during a buy-and-bust operation in June 2001 for selling heroin. He was convicted of criminal sale of a controlled substance in the third degree (Penal Law § 220.39 [1]). At the start of jury selection, the trial court called 44 individuals for simultaneous questioning, placing 12 in the jury box and the others in four front rows of the courtroom. The defense attorney objected to…