Will New Supreme Court Judge Support Online Gambling 

May 28, 2009 - Written by Renee

A few days ago US Court of Appeals Judge Sonia Sotomayor was nominated to the US Supreme Court by President Obama. The online gambling industry, which is bound to face many legal battles in the coming months, was naturally concerned about Judge Sotomayor’s possible stand on online gambling. A check on her past judicial history reveals a mixed bag for the online gambling industry. 

The online gambling industry is facing stiff opposition from the NFL in its attempt to get the industry legalized and regulated. In a high profile case Judge Sotomayor had ruled in favor of the NFL. This was the case when Maurice Clarett and Mike Williams went to court against the collectively bargained rule that set age requirements to join the NFL. Sotomayor has practiced privately as an intellectual rights attorney. In this practice she has defended the intellectual property rights of the intangible assets of her clients. One of the arguments put forward by the NFL is that the game results are its intellectual property and therefore sports betting organizations cannot use them. Therefore it is possible that Judge Sotomayor may be inclined to see things from the NFL’s perspective. 

However Judge Sotomayor has exhibited pragmatism in her decisions. Legal commentator Louis Sagel sees her as a political centrist and says that her decisions are governed by realism rather than ideology. Arturo Vargas, Executive Director of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials, says that Judge Sotomayor will understand how laws affect Americans in their everyday life. The online gaming industry would be extremely happy with this aspect of Judge Sotomayor and therefore they feel that she may be sympathetic to their cause.