Skakel Lawyers Make Bold Push At High Court In Notorious Moxley Murder Case

In a bold in an attempt to shift a razor thin margin on the state Supreme Court in his favor, Kennedy cousin Michael Skakel is demanding that the court add another judge before it considers his newest appeal.

How the court responds to the latest development in the notorious murder case has become a hot topic among court watchers since Dec. 30, when Justice Peter Zarella resigned from the court on the same day the court published his 4-3 majority decision reinstating Skakel's murder conviction.

Noted defense lawyer Hubert Santos filed papers with the court Friday afternoon asking it to reconsider the ruling and insisting that it has a legal obligation to replace Zarella with a seventh justice before doing so.

Santos argues that, since Zarella left for private practice, he cannot be recalled to vote on whether reargument should be permitted. Without Zarella, court watchers predict a vote among the remaining justices on reconsideration would deadlock at 3-3. Should Santos, who was joined on the papers by his associate Trent LaLima, prevail in the argument, there would be a tie-breaking vote.

Read more: http://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-skakel-supreme-court-0107-20170106-story.html