Delaware Sports Betting Conflict? Judges From NJ, PA

Following news this past week that an appeals court had found that Delaware sports betting violates current federal law, questions now focus on two of the judges who helped render the decisions.  Both are from neighboring states, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. 

Ron Williams of the News Journal:

"What? You don't think federal judges read the newspapers and follow political debates over such things as state-supported gambling? Federal judges got to their lifetime positions by playing local politics at an early age, either as county or district party chairs or volunteers in someone's election campaign."

New Jersey is also trying to legalize sports betting via a lawsuit filed by The Interactive Media Entertainment & Gaming Association.

It should be noted that all three of the appeals judges have come down hard on Delaware.

Judge Theodore A. McKee, a Bill Clinton appointee, is from Philadelphia. Judge Julio M. Fuentes, also a Clinton guy, is from Newark, N.J., and Thomas M. Hardiman is a George W. Bush appointee from Pittsburgh.

"I was surprised that the appeals panel of pandering partisans for Pennsylvania and Jersey had to jam it down our throat one more time by saying Delaware was only in the business of NFL gambling in 1976 and therefore can't branch out to any other sport," writes Williams.  "If these judges weren't so worried about the effect Delaware's sports betting would have on their own states, they would have said nothing about the status of sports betting that didn't yet exist in 1976. How do these guys know what the Delaware General Assembly's legislative intent was in 1975-1976 when it passed the sports gaming law?"

The major league sports teams and NCAA had been lobbying hard to prevent sports betting from being legalized in the state.

Gov. Jack Markell felt sports betting could provide a much needed boost to the state's economy.