A New York judge has refused to release secret testimony heard by a grand jury that declined to indict a police officer in the chokehold death of Eric Garner.

The New York Civil Liberties Union and other agencies sought to make the evidence public following public outcry and calls for a reform of the grand jury system after the decision not to indict Officer Daniel Pantaleo in the July death.

District Attorney Daniel Donovan argued that disclosing the information would damage the credibility of prosecutors seeking to assure both grand jurors and witnesses that details of their participation would be kept from public view.

State Supreme Court Justice William Garnett says the parties who brought the suit didn’t make a good enough argument for releasing the minutes.

(AP)