The Solicitor General’s office has joined the state of Louisiana in requesting reconsideration of the Supreme Court’s decision in Kennedy v. Louisiana, in which the Court held the death penalty for child rape to be unconstitutional. This is particularly interesting because the SG did not participate in the case initially, as the office had overlooked the fact that the constitutionality of a federal law — in particular a provision of the UCMJ providing for the death penalty in cases of child rape — could be affected by the Court’s decision. Lyle Denniston has more details and a link to the motin at SCOTUSBlog here.