People v. Horton

By order of the Court of Appeals (15 N Y 2d 722) a hearing has been mandated to inquire into the voluntariness of the defendants’ confessions.

The defendant, Alvarez, moves that the court disqualify itself on the ground that the court authored a book entitled “ The Jury Is Still Out ” which concerned itself with the instant case. It is claimed that various police officers, who will be witnesses at this hearing, assisted the court in its research into the background of the trial. It is claimed that opinions expressed in the book which relate to the credibility of the defendant, Alvarez, and to…