'D.C. Madam' Asks Supreme Court for Help

Deborah Jeane Palfrey, the alleged Washington madam, has filed an appeal with the U.S. Supreme Court, asking that her racketeering and money laundering case be stayed until she gets adequate council counsel. Palfrey's civil attorney, Montgomery Blair Sibley, says she's asked for a new public defender in her criminal case, but as of yet hasn't been provided with a new lawyer.

You'll remember that earlier this month Palfrey, who says she provided "legal sexual and erotic services" to over 15,000 clients, threatened to release her client list in order to raise funds for her legal defence. She handed over the list to ABC news, just before a judge ordered her to keep it under wraps. But after the entrepreneur gave us a preview of her roster of "high profile" clients, our hopes for a real-life sex scandal were pretty much dashed. She claimed that Harlan K. Ullman, a senior associate with the Center for Strategic and International Studies, known for coining the phrase "shock and awe", was one of her long-time clients. With apologies to all the Harlan Ullman fans out there (and we're sure someone has their own Ullman-riffic blog) we're less than impressed by Palfrey's definition of "high profile".

Maybe an infusion of high court glamour can re-spark interest in the shocking story that, surprise, surprise, even famous-for-D.C. types occasionally pay for sex. Anna Nicole Smith's Supreme Court win last year certainly pepped up the docket. We're on board any time there's potential to catch Antonin Scalia expounding his views on prostitution.

Photo by Flickr user Eye Captain.