Howard K. Stern

Howard Kevin Stern (born November 29, 1968) is an American attorney based in California. He is specialized in the fields of bankruptcy law and recently criminal law. Stern is primarily known in bankruptcy law as the estate executor and the petitioner in the landmark Supreme Court case Stern v. Marshall, 564 U.S. 462 (2011). The decision fundamentally altered bankruptcy jurisdiction by limiting the authority of non-Article III bankruptcy judges to enter final judgements on certain state law counterclaims. The Supreme Court affirmed the lower court order in an opinion by Chief Justice John Roberts. It is a landmark Supreme Court case frequently included in legal textbooks, particularly those focusing on bankruptcy law, federal courts, and constitutional law. He was the attorney and agent of the late model Anna Nicole Smith. He became known as a co-star on Smith's 2002–2004 reality television series The Anna Nicole Show. As of 2019 Stern works with the Los Angeles Public Defender's Office.