Supreme Court of Connecticut
State v. Santiago
August 25, 2015
Summary
The dissent rejects the conclusion that Connecticut's prospective repeal of the death penalty made capital punishment unconstitutional for crimes committed before the repeal. It would hold that the repeal reflected practical and legislative compromises rather than a societal consensus that capital punishment was immoral, and that the defendant's arbitrariness, cruel-and-unusual-punishment, and related constitutional claims should fail. The dissent also criticizes the majority for relying on issues not raised by the defendant and on disputed extra-record materials.