Associated Press Runs Story on FantasySCOTUS

February 15th, 2014

associated-press-picThe AP wire story is here:

In FantasySCOTUS, participants try to predict how the justices will vote in each of the cases that come before the high court during its term, which runs from October to late June or early July.

Josh Blackman, a Houston law professor who started the online game more than four years ago, said the site is a fun way of understanding an institution that for many people remains mysterious and far removed from daily life.

“People want to know what are they doing, and this is just one way of kind of peeling back the curtain,” said Blackman, who teaches at South Texas College of Law.

FantasySCOTUS started “almost like a joke,” said the 29-year-old Blackman.

The idea came in 2009 when he kidded with a friend about what the betting odds would be in Las Vegas over the then pending ruling from the Supreme Court in the Citizens United case, which lifted many restrictions on corporate spending in political elections.

Blackman and another person built the site in a month and launched it in November 2009. Within 24 hours, 1,000 people had signed up. Today, the site has more than 20,000 participants.

And best part–Kathy Arberg declined comment.

Kathleen Arberg, a spokeswoman for the Supreme Court, declined to comment about the fantasy league.

Blackman said he has heard that the justices are aware of his website.

Yep. Justice Breyer was asked about FantasySCOTUS years ago. I also know I get hits from inside One First Street. Take that for what you will.

Perhaps the coolest part is that once the story hit the wire, it pops up all over the place, including Washington Post, ABC News, Newsday, the Sacramento Bee, the Salt Lake Tribune, and others.