article_snippet: Testimony heard by a grand jury that declined to indict a police officer in the chokehold death of Eric Garner will not be released, a judge said Thursday, arguing there wasn't a good enough reason to make the secret information public.
article_snippet: The New York Civil Liberties and others had asked the court to order Staten Island District Attorney Daniel Donovan to release the grand jury transcript, including the testimony of the officer involved, Daniel Pantaleo, and dozens of witnesses, detailed descriptions of evidence and other documentation.
article_snippet: But State Justice William Garnett wrote that the law required the NYCLU and the other parties who brought the lawsuit to establish a 'compelling and particularized need' to release the grand jury minutes. '
article_snippet: What would they use the grand jury minutes for?
article_snippet: Donovan argued that the disclosure would damage the credibility of prosecutors seeking to assure both grand jurors and witnesses that details of both grand jurors and witnesses participation would be kept from public view.
article_snippet: Following the decision not to indict the officer involved, Donovan asked for some information to be made public, but some information to be made public didn't include testimony or exhibits shown to jurors.
article_snippet: The judge also agreed with arguments by Donovan's office that secrecy was needed to assure witnesses that witnesses would not be subjected to public criticism for witnesses cooperation. '
article_snippet: This concern is particularly cogent in 'high publicity cases' where the witnesses' truthful and accurate testimony is vital,' Garnett wrote. '
article_snippet: This concern is in such notorious cases that witnesses' cooperation and honesty should be encouraged — not discouraged — for fear of disclosure.'
article_snippet: The proponents claimed Donovan was duplicitous for going to court to ask for a partial disclosure of details like the number of witnesses, only to turn around and argue against the release of more meaningful information like testimony and prosecutors' instructions to the grand jury.
highlights_snippet: The New York Civil Liberties and others had asked the court to order Staten Island District Attorney Daniel Donovan to release the grand jury transcript .
  
highlights_snippet: the grand jury transcript includes testimony of the officer involved, Daniel Pantaleo, and dozens of witnesses, descriptions of evidence and other documentation .
  