WASHINGTON -- When Larry Flynt last appeared at the Supreme Court, he spat obscenities at the justices and was hauled away by police, but this time he sat pensively in his gold-plated wheelchair without uttering a word.
Flynt listened attentively from the rear of the courtroom to his lawyer's presentation Wednesday while the Rev. Jerry Falwell, his legal rival, sat right up front with his wife, who appeared in jewelry and a black fur coat.
The smut magnate and the television evangelist came to the Supreme Court to settle a dispute over a November 1983 advertisement parody Flynt published in his Hustler magazine regarding Falwell's first sexual encounter.
Flynt's neat appearance in a conservative three-piece suit contrasted with his attire four years ago in a libel dispute, when he showed up in a T-shirt emblazoned with an obscene expression.
At the close of arguments in the 1983 case, Flynt shouted obscenties at the bench -- a perfomance that got him dragged from the courtroom and charged with obstructing justice.
'I think it's time I started behaving myself,' Flynt said when asked about his demure behavior Wednesday. 'I think I made my point last time.'
But the high court's marshal decided not to take any chances this time and asked more officers to patrol the court in case there was another obscene outburst, said Supreme Court spokeswoman Toni House.
At the close of the arguments, Flynt and Falwell emerged from the courtroom vying for the spotlight. Neither side concealed its animosity for the other.
'The Larry Flynts of the world have to be tolerated,' the wheelchair-bound publisher told a swarm of reporters. 'My speech is just as important as Jerry Falwell's, probably more so.'
Flynt expressed remorse for publishing the ad parody, not because of the alleged emotional distress it caused Falwell but for the possible ramifications the case will have on the media.
'I regret I have brought this issue before the court and that the national press could be affected by their decision,' he said. 'It makes me feel very badly.'
Falwell disputed Flynt's depiction of the case, saying the parody involved 'unbridled, reckless journalism.' The conservative preacher said he felt compelled to 'bring an end to the kind of sleaze merchandising Larry Flynt typifies. I have said repeatedly he must be stopped.'
After the questioning, Falwell paused to sign a few autographs and then left the court in a black Cadillac. Flynt rolled off with his bodyguard.
