The Penal System

Want to feel good about "The System" here in the good old U.S.A.? Let's take a stroll over to the Supreme Court (that would be the United States Supreme Court, with all the fuss and hullaballoo). Anna Nicole Smith has been given a new legal lease on life. Is she fighting censorship, as her years as a Playboy Playmate and stripper have opened her eyes to a world of hypocrisy and ignorance? Nope. Is she using her celebrity status to promote a woman's right to choose? Not so much. Is she doing anything that could be considered in the least bit altruistic? Sorry.
Today the Supreme Court (again, that "First Monday In October" bunch in black robes with the Constitution and all) ruled that she can continue her pursuit of her late husband's oil fortune. Initially, she won a $474 million judgment, which was cut to about $89 million and eventually reduced to zero. There is no guarantee that she will receive any money as a result of this ruling, but she is now free once again to stake her claim. If you are unfamiliar with Anna Nicole's story, she and J. Howard Marshall II, the colorful Texas tycoon married in 1994 when she was 26 and he was 89, after meeting at a Houston strip club. Marshall, who had a penchant for strippers, died the following year. The trouble started when Marshall's son, E. Pierce Marshall, insisted that he get his fair share - or at least to be certain that Ms. Smith would get nothing.
That was several dress sizes and a reality show ago for Anna Nicole, who will no doubt be back in a California federal court before long. All that being said and done, here is my question: Shouldn't Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and John Paul Stevens be working furiously on the legalitites of covert wiretapping, or gay marriage or something other than the fortunes and misfortunes of an ex-stripper? I just went and checked their calendar, and it looks like they're pretty full up (except for June, July and August). They've been hearing arguments with names like "MOHAWK INDUSTRIES V. WILLIAMS" and "ZEDNER V. UNITED STATES." It sure sounds impressive, doesn't it? But what do you suppose it takes to get CERTIORARI granted or denied? Given the nature of this case, I'm not sure I want to know the particulars of "NEBRASKA BEEF, LTD. V. GREENING, DENNIS, ET AL." Just send me a brief, okay?