{"jurisdiction": "us-ny", "code": "cpl", "section": "260.10", "citation": "CPL § 260.10", "heading": "Jury trial; requirement thereof", "text": ["§ 260.10  Jury trial; requirement thereof.", "Except as otherwise provided in section 320.10, every trial of an indictment must be a jury trial."], "official_source": "https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/laws/CPL/260.10", "from_official_api": true, "plain_english": "Every trial of an **indictment** (the formal felony-level charging document) **must be a jury trial**. ★ The only exception: **§ 320.10**, which lets a defendant **waive** the jury and have a bench trial (judge alone). So the default is a jury; the defendant has to affirmatively give it up.", "retrieved": "2026-09-27", "url": "https://elyphived.com/us-ny/cpl/260.10", "publisher": "Elyphived LLC"}