People v. Brown

Ruled that defendant was not denied the effective assistance of counsel when his attorney did not object to the trial court’s suggestion that the parties exercise juror challenges at off-the-record sidebar conferences held in his absence, and that off-the-record juror challenges at sidebar conferences without defendant did not violate defendant’s constitutional right to be present at all stages of the criminal proceedings. Concurrence would have held that defendant had a constitutional right to be present when his attorney and the prosecutor exercised their challenges pursuant to the Illinois Constitution