On Tuesday, after an announcement that police officers involved in the death of Daniel Prude had been cleared by a grand jury, state Attorney General Letitia James revealed that a judge had approved the release of the grand jury records.
This was a surprise to many, especially the attorneys for the city police officers who had faced criminal charges. They had received no notice of a pending release of the records.
And, while the death of Daniel Prude has been the focus of national attention, the possible disclosure of grand jury materials would be seismic in its own way — what some say is a detour from decades of legal practice and precedent in New York.
“It’s always been a really laborious process to get them,” Rochester-based defense lawyer Peter Pullano said of grand jury minutes. “I’ve never seen it happen this fast.”
