HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) One of two men convicted in the killings of a mother and her two daughters in a 2007 Connecticut home invasion is suing the state, claiming his rights are violated because he's being denied kosher food in prison.

The New Haven Register reports that death row inmate Steven Hayes describes himself as an orthodox Jew and claims he's been requesting a kosher diet since May 2013.

Hayes also says denying him a kosher diet violates his Eighth Amendment right that forbids cruel and unusual punishment because he must eat non-kosher food to survive.

A spokeswoman for the Department of Correction declined to comment and said the lawsuit has been referred to the attorney general. A spokeswoman said the attorney general will respond in court.