Appellate Division, Third Department · October 8, 2026 · 2026 NY Slip Op 05830
People v Duplessis
Read the official decision: 2026 NY Slip Op 05830
Holding The Appellate Division reversed the conviction and remitted for a new trial because the County Court’s denial of the Batson challenge at step three was unsupported by the record. The court found that the trial court failed to adequately assess the prosecutor’s credibility and that the race-neutral explanation regarding the juror’s communication abilities was contradicted by the record.
The court’s words
the record contains no objective facts demonstrating that the [trial prosecutor's] explanation was motivated by race
2026 NY Slip Op 05830, at the official text
County Court took virtually no steps to assess the prosecutor's credibility to develop a meaningful record
2026 NY Slip Op 05830, at the official text
a determination at step three that juror No. 95 did have difficulty communicating would, at best, be speculative
2026 NY Slip Op 05830, at the official text
| Court | Appellate Division, Third Department |
|---|---|
| Decided | October 8, 2026 |
| Citation | 2026 NY Slip Op 05830 |
| Area of law | Criminal Procedure |
| Week | Week ending October 10, 2026 |
| Official text | Official decision: 2026 NY Slip Op 05830 |
| Publication status | Slip opinions are uncorrected and subject to revision before publication in the Official Reports. |
| Source feed | New York slip opinion page |
| Law Watch record id | 1062 |
Recommended citation
ESQ HQ, New York Law Watch, People v Duplessis, 2026 NY Slip Op 05830 (Appellate Division, Third Department, October 8, 2026), https://esqhq.com/decisions/2026-ny-slip-op-05830/
How this record was made
Holding drafted by Law Watch’s in-house model, graded by three reviewers; every quotation verified word for word against the official text.
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