Posted on 12/25/2005 11:28:26 PM PST by NormsRevenge
WASHINGTON - Playboy playmate Anna Nicole Smith has an unusual bedfellow in the Supreme Court fight over her late husband's fortune: the Bush administration.
The administration's top Supreme Court lawyer filed arguments on Smith's behalf and wants to take part when the case is argued before the justices.
The court will decide early next year whether to let the U.S. solicitor general share time with Smith's attorney during the one hour argument on Feb. 28.
Smith, a television reality star and native Texan, plans to attend the court argument.
She is trying to collect millions of dollars from the estate of J. Howard Marshall II, the oil tycoon she married in 1994 when he was 89 and she was a 26-year-old topless dancer in Houston. Marshall died in 1995.
Like Marshall, President Bush was a Texas oil man. Both attended Yale. Both held government positions in Washington.
There are differences. Marshall had a penchant for strippers, and the court record before the justices is one of poverty, greed, sex and family rivalry.
A federal bankruptcy judge sided with Smith in the fight over her late husband's estate, awarding her $474 million. That was reduced to about $89 million by a federal district judge, then thrown out altogether by a federal appeals court.
The issue before the high court is one only lawyers would love: when may federal courts hear claims that are also involved state probate proceedings. Smith lost in Texas state courts, which found that E. Pierce Marshall was the sole heir to his father's estate.
The Bush administration's filings in the case are technical. Without getting into the details of the family squabble, Solicitor General Paul Clement said that the justices should protect federal court jurisdiction in disputes.
Filings are due next month by groups backing E. Pierce Marshall.
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When justices return from their break next month, they will consider whether a New Orleans restaurant must pay a former bartender in a sexual harassment lawsuit.
There's a catch, however.
The Moonlight Cafe is out of business after Hurricane Katrina.
Justices had first planned to hear the case in November, but they changed the date to January saying they wanted to give lawyers "additional needed time to prepare for the case while dealing with their unexpected losses as a result of Katrina." The court also extended filing deadlines.
The cafe's lawyer, Brett Prendergast of New Orleans, said his house and office were badly damaged and that the restaurant suffered storm and looting damage.
Jeffrey Schwartz, the New Orleans lawyer for the former bartender, had to relocate his family and office out-of-state.
A jury had awarded Jenifer Arbaugh $40,000, but it's unclear if she wins at the Supreme Court how much the Moonlight Cafe will be able to pay.
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The traditional Supreme Court Christmas party went on without the late Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist, who was well-known for his love of the annual event.
Court employees gather each year to sing carols with the justices and enjoy snacks around the court's tree. Court members of varying faiths, including Jewish members, have attended.
In the past Rehnquist led the singing — and made sure that others sang heartily.
Are you going to post pics? :)
Unggghhh! Please don't.
LOL - I agree. Why spoil a good Holiday with pictures of that scag. Certainly think she ought to get her 'Fair' share of her late husbands estate. That would be, by my reckoning, exactly $0.
No, No. Give her at least $50 million. We need her on TV. Its a barren wasteland out there, and Anna Nicole is one of the dim brightspots out there. Preserve Ms. Smith and her little empire...keep a little piece of Americana alive.
Shes one of those that used to be hot but years of booze,food,surgery and "other things" has left her looking sick
Uhhh yea
"J. Howard Marshall was born on January 24, 1905 in Germantown, PA. He led an extraordinary life that spanned more than nine decades.
His career brought him success as a teacher, government official, attorney and businessman. His career spanned almost the entire history of the oil industry, from the early years when uncontrolled production depleted valuable fields and natural gas was burned at the well head, to the decades of energy shortages and the Arab Oil Embargo.
Marshall worked his way through Yale Law School, graduating Magna Cum Laude in 1931. He was invited to join the Yale faculty and served as assistant dean at Yale Law School. His interest in the oil industry came from a study of laws designed to regulate the ruinous practice of controlled production that threatened the industry. Lack of regulation was creating a boom-bust cycle in the industry and robbing the country of precious natural resources by the premature depletion of oil and gas fields.
Marshall's pioneering study of oil industry regulation led to an early end to his promising academic career. Marshall was recruited away from Yale in 1933, to work for the Secretary of Interior, Harold Ickes, in Washington.
In 1935, he moved to San Francisco as special counsel to the president of Standard Oil of California (now Chevron). Two years later, he became a partner with Standard's chief outside counsel, at that time, Pillsbury, Madison and Sutro.
With World War II looming, Harold Ickes called him back to Washington in 1941 to work for the Petroleum Administration for War. Marshall served in various high-level government positions, helping develop and implement the energy policies to win the war.
In 1944, Marshall chose to pursue solely a business career when he joined Ashland Oil and Refining Co. (now Marathon Ashland).
He held top executive positions at a number of oil companies through 1952 when he co-founded Great Northern Oil (now Koch Refining). During the 1950s, he held two jobs: V.P. of Production for Signal Oil & Gas and Chairman of the Executive Committee of Great Northern. He eventually formed Marshall Petroleum in 1984 and became a successful independent oil man.
Mr. Marshall was married to Eleanor M. Pierce from 1931-1960. They had two sons, J. Howard Marshall III and E. Pierce Marshall. Mr. Marshall married Bettye Bohannon in 1961. The couple's 30-year marriage ended with Bettye's death in 1991. Mr. Marshall was married briefly to Anna Nicole Smith. The couple married in 1994. Mr. Marshall died on August 4, 1995."
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An interesting man, I just might dig up his autobiography "Done in Oil" one of these days. I would like to know more about the early industry regulations and how he helped organize our wartime energy policy. Interesting that he started as a Yale law dean. Who knows, maybe he married Anna Nicole knowing that it would keep his name out there. Something tells me he and his sons did not get along. As for Anna Nicole, whatever my personal feelings about her, she should get what he meant for her to receive.
Nah, she's not a gold digger ... LOL!!!
Chief Justice Roberts' reaction.
I'm not sticking up here for Anna, but she has been with Trim Spa for almost 2 years now. She is actually very thin. Although she looks much better, her attitude stinks. She has turned nasty.
But she is no longer a huge whale. I will give her credit in losing all that fat.
She looks like someone Clintoon would of helped out.
Here's a pic from June '05. She's down a few lb's. No increase in IQ detected however.
LOL.....not exactly who I had in mind :)
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