The People of the State of New York, Respondent v. Howard S. Wright, Appellant

Summary

The New York Court of Appeals reversed the Appellate Division and ordered a new trial, holding that defense counsel's failure to object to the prosecutor's misrepresentations of DNA evidence during closing argument constituted ineffective assistance of counsel that deprived the defendant of a fair trial. The Court emphasized that such prosecutorial misconduct and counsel's inaction violate the constitutional right to effective assistance under the Sixth Amendment.