Top court blocks effort to unseal Garner grand jury testimony

New York’s top court has dismissed an effort to make public testimony that a Staten Island grand jury heard before declining to indict a police officer in the chokehold death of Eric Garner.

 The Court of Appeals, without comment, declined a motion asking it to review a mid-level court decision that kept the grand jury testimony sealed. The lawsuit had been brought by New York City Public Advocate Letitia James and other groups.

In a high-profile case recorded by a bystander's cellphone, Garner, 43, died after a white New York City police officer used an apparent chokehold during a July 17, 2014, arrest on Staten Island, when Garner was accused of selling untaxed cigarettes. A Staten Island grand jury refused to indict the officer, but federal officials are still reviewing possible civil rights charges.