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Editor: Rod Sullivan
Profession: Maritime Attorney

Category: Supreme Court Rulings

A Chinese restaurant on Capitol Hill in Washinton D.C. has been running a betting pool behind its kitchen for at least the past seven years. What makes this pool somewhat different is that the gamblers aren't waging on numbers, horse races, or football games----they are wagering on the outcome of cases heard before the United States Supreme Court.

The restaurant, named Yung Ciao's, is operated by Sally Yung, a second generation Chinese of Taiwanese descent, and her boyfriend, Ronny Squilante. Squilante, a New Yorker of Italian descent, insisted on the word "Ciao" being added to the restaurant's name. It was his idea to take bets directly from the back door of the restaurant. Since then, the idea has proved to be enormously popular with local gamblers.

Ronny got the idea from listening to the late night delivery drivers returning from their runs to the Supreme Court Building, located less than a half mile away. "What you got there?" he would ask. "Clarence order Szechuan Chicken, extra hot, with hot and spicy soup. What you think of that?" In a chorus all the delivery drivers would shout "Dissenting opinion!!!" Sally said that she could predict the outcome of a case based upon what the Justices were ordering to be delivered.

Sally Yung began naming certain combinations after individual Supreme Court Justices. A vegetarian "Buddha's Delight" with white rice, extra tofu, and cashews became known as a "Souter Special," while a "Shrimp with Lobster Sauce," roast pork egg roll and fried rice became known as a "Breyer Midnight Special" because Justice Breyer would only order it after Justice Ginsburg left the building for the night.

Sally handicaps the upcoming rulings by who is ordering together, and posts her odds on a slate in the back of the restaurant. "If Thomas, Alito, Scalia, and Roberts all order together, then I think maybe some criminal is having bad day." "If Ginsburg, Breyer, Souter and Kennedy all order togther, then criminal having good day." But, "the key is Kennedy" said Sally when interviewed on her method of handicapping the betting on pending Supreme Court cases. "He never order same thing twice. Always choose one from column A and one from column B. Sometimes hot and spicy, sometimes mild. Can never tell."

She has been remarkably successful in making her predictions though. In the Spring Term of 2006 her predictions were correct over 90% of the time, but she admits that even she gets surprised sometimes. "United States v. Gonzales, we pay big on that one. Give 3 to 1 odds that United States will win, Gonzales will stay in jail." Gonzales claimed that he didn't get the attorney of his choice and that his conviction should be overturned, even though he couldn't show that another attorney would have done a better job defending him. "You believe it?" said Sally. "Scalia vote with Souter, Breyer, Ginsburg, and Stevens! I shocked! Kennedy vote with Alito, Thomas, and Roberts---no way to predict that one. We lose big."

Asked whether they liked the new Justice to the Supreme Court Yung Ciao's delivery drivers were unanimous. "Roberts and Alito, they tip good." About the others they said "Thomas still small tipper, but Scalia tip double when they eat together."

Sally has offered to permit scholars to go through Young Ciao's computer records to track how the Justices eating patterns have acted a predictors of the outcome of cases. A research group called Ratio Juris, which attempts to use empirical methods to predict Supreme Court outcomes, is considering taking her up on her offer.

(c) 2006