a public defender

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After being denied a new trial in State court, Michael Skakel is now going straight to federal court. His attorneys filed a petition for writ of habeas corpus (not petition for new trial as the Courant first reported), raising essentially the same failed claims from his direct appeal to the Connecticut Supreme Court.

I’m not sure if this means that he is forgoing an appeal from the denial of petition for new trial, but it does almost certainly mean that no IAC claim will be raised in federal court. That will surely come in state court, but further down the line.

Again I am a little surprised as to why they chose to go this route, as with the petition for new trial. Perhaps his one year was almost up.

Either way, I think Skakel’s best bet is the IAC claim against “Mickey” Sherman.