Although at one point in time, it could be said the grand jury system was a rubber stamp of the DA [Judge Sol Wachtler, the former Chief Judge of the State, was quoted as saying, “A grand jury would indict a ham sandwich,” (See People v. Carter, 77 N.Y. 2d 95, 107 & n.1 (1990) (Titone, J., dissenting); In re Grand Jury Subpoena, 144 Misc. 2D 1012, 1016 n.1 (Sup. Ct. N.Y. County 1989)], that has not been true for many years, at least not in Kings County. Changes to the composition of the pool from which grand jurors are chosen are largely responsible for this phenomenon… Continue reading →