Television

Justice Kagan: Poker Shark

This week's Jeopardy taught America more about the Supreme Court.

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Justice Kagan watching you go all in with a 2-7 offsuit.

A couple days ago on Jeopardy, attorney Stephen Newman, who introduced himself as originally from New Hartford, New York, but currently serving in the Los Angeles office for Stroock, tried his hand at taking down reigning champ, Eimer Stahl attorney Brian Chang.

Chang prevailed over second-place Newman, but the L.A. lawyer left us with an anecdote about playing poker against Justice Elena Kagan while she was a professor at the University of Chicago Law School. Jess Bravin cuts to the chase of Newman’s story:

Unfortunately, that video appears to be gone, but you get the gist of the story.

Kagan’s poker acumen isn’t news to me. A friend of mine — who was very good at calculating odds himself — told me years ago that while he went to Princeton, he played in a regular poker game with fellow students Elena Kagan and Eliot Spitzer. And while the latter preferred to take different gambles in his career, the players were apparently fairly accomplished back then so it’s unsurprising that Kagan is still whipping people today.

So remember, if you’re ever arguing before the Supreme Court, don’t read too much into one justice’s poker face.

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HeadshotJoe Patrice is a senior editor at Above the Law and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer. Feel free to email any tips, questions, or comments. Follow him on Twitter if you’re interested in law, politics, and a healthy dose of college sports news. Joe also serves as a Managing Director at RPN Executive Search.

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