This column reports on several significant representative decisions handed down recently in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York. Judge Nicholas G. Garaufis denied the government’s motion for a partially sequestered jury in a terrorism trial, while granting its motion for an anonymous jury. Judge LaShann DeArcy Hall found that a law firm was not entitled to insurance coverage for damages caused by the potential presence of COVID-19 in its offices or by Governor Cuomo’s Executive Order in March 2020 requiring a 100% reduction of the in-person workforce.

Motion for Anonymous and Partially Sequestered Jury

In United States v. Kandic, 17 CR 449 (S-1) (EDNY, Nov. 24, 2021), where the indictment charged defendant with supporting ISIS as a member of its media operations, Judge Garaufis granted the government’s in limine motion for an anonymous jury, but denied its motion for partial sequestration.