The Supreme Court said in a divided ruling that a defendant in a rare death penalty appeal will get a new trial because the prosecution violated its obligations.Richard Glossip’s appeal was unusual because Oklahoma’s Republican attorney general agreed that the defendant should get a new trial due to prosecutorial misconduct.

The state's highest court upheld a law transferring more control of death penalty cases from local district attorneys to the state attorney general.

Richard Glossip’s case became a focal point in the national debate over the death penalty, which critics say is unjust or unfairly applied.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday threw out the murder conviction and death penalty for Richard Glossip, an Oklahoma man who has steadfastly maintained his innocence and averted multiple attempts by the state to execute him.