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The Leonard Lopate Show
Unmasking New York State's 'Blindfold Law'

John Schoeffel, staff attorney for the Legal Aid Society's Special Litigation Unit, and Peter Mitchell, its director of training, join us to discuss New York State’s "blindfold law." The law allows prosecutors in criminal cases to withhold police reports or witness statements from the defense until the day of the trial. This means defendants often do not receive evidence that would normally be shared in civil cases ahead of the trial. Additionally, the law does not give a person charged with a crime the right to learn who is accusing them.