A New York State appeals court on Wednesday denied the release of evidence presented to a Staten Island grand jury that decided not to indict a New York City police officer after the death of Eric Garner last year.

Affirming a March decision in State Supreme Court, a four-judge panel of the Appellate Division in Brooklyn ruled unanimously against releasing the information, sought by a variety of parties including the city’s public advocate, the Legal Aid Society and the New York Civil Liberties Union. The panel said the secrecy that protects state grand juries trumped the arguments in favor of disclosure.

“The Supreme Court properly determined that the public interest in disclosure was outweighed by the dangers inherent in violating the secrecy of the grand jury process,” three judges wrote in a majority opinion. (A fourth judge concurred with the ruling but disagreed on a side issue regarding the role of the public advocate.)