A Connecticut public defender who represents two former death row inmates is unhappy with continued efforts by prosecutors to persuade the state Supreme Court to reconsider a recent decision to abolish the death penalty in Connecticut.

The matter was seemingly settled by the Aug. 25 decision in State v. Santiago, when the Supreme Court ruled that the legislature's 2012 decision to abolish the death penalty only for future capital cases, but not for death row inmates, was unconstitutional. But to the surprise of many in the appellate and defense bars, the court shortly afterward agreed to review new arguments in another death penalty case, State v. Peeler. The Chief State's Attorney's Office and Public Defender Mark Rademacher now have Nov. 6 deadlines to file 35-page briefs in the Peeler case.

Rademacher, who represents both Eduardo Santiago and Russell Peeler, said in an interview: “Everyone thinks the Santiago decision in August was the end of it, but it feels like there's a new round of briefs to write every week, responding to the state's motions.”