“The United States Supreme Court denied my motion (Case #06A1110) to stay the criminal proceeding and return my case to the civil courts, this morning,” Deborah Jeane Palfrey explains via e-mail. “The motion before the Supreme Court involved a time sensitive Congressional mandate, which clearly states that individuals who have had their property seized via the civil asset forfeiture process – as I have - are to receive a hearing within 30 days, once such a motion is made. In my situation, the motion was submitted twice to the lower District Court and ignored twice by the presiding judge, Judge Gladys Kessler. I now have gone well over 200 days, since last fall without any due process in the matter.”

Justice Clarence Thomas had agreed to hear the motion over the objections of Chief Justice John Roberts.

Palfrey says that her civil lawyer, Montgomery Blair Sibley, will now be contacting Sen. Patrick Lehey, Chairperson of the Senate Judiciary Committee.