California, United States of America
The following excerpt is from People v. Cole, 17 Cal.Rptr.3d 532, 33 Cal.4th 1158, 95 P.3d 811 (Cal. 2004):
On appeal, we apply the independent or de novo standard of review to a trial court's exclusion of a criminal defendant from pretrial and trial proceedings, either in whole or in part, "insofar as the trial court's decision entails a measurement of the facts against the law." (People v. Waidla, supra, 22 Cal.4th 690, 741, 94 Cal.Rptr.2d 396, 996 P.2d 46.)
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