Connecticut prosecutors are asking the U.S. Supreme Court to reinstate Kennedy cousin Michael Skakel's murder conviction.
The state Supreme Court in May reversed its own 2016 decision and vacated Skakel's conviction in the bludgeoning death of 15-year-old Martha Moxley in their wealthy Greenwich neighborhood in 1975, when they were teenagers.
The 4-3 majority said Skakel's trial lawyer failed to contact an alibi witness.
Prosecutors asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday to hear their appeal. They argue the state court didn't properly weigh the overall performance of Skakel's defense.
The chances of this petition being heard are slim. There is no obligation, according to "Supreme Court Procedure" online to hear these cases of those dissatisfied with a lower court decision. The U.S. Supreme Court only accepts 100 to 150 of more than 7,000 cases that are submitted for review every year.
Attorneys for Michael Skakel said they are going to file a response.
Skakel is a nephew of Robert F. Kennedy's widow, Ethel Kennedy. A jury convicted him in 2002 and he was sentenced to 20 years to life in prison. He was freed in 2013 when a state judge overturned his conviction.
