The People of the State of New York v. Raymond Clyde

Summary

The New York Court of Appeals held that the trial court’s order to visibly shackle the defendant without a case‑specific, on‑the‑record justification violated constitutional due‑process rights, but that error was harmless given the overwhelming evidence of guilt. The court also found the evidentiary error permitting expert testimony on injuries harmless and affirmed the sufficiency of the attempted‑rape conviction, reversing the Appellate Division’s dismissal of that count. The decision was accompanied by a dissent arguing that the shackling error could not be harmless and that the attempted‑rape evidence was not overwhelming.