\n Posted on: November 13, 2024, 03:07h.\u00a0\n <\/p>\n
\n Last updated on: November 13, 2024, 03:07h.\n <\/p>\n
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<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\nTheodore (Ted) Olson, an American lawyer who served as the 42nd solicitor general of the United States under President George W. Bush and the U.S. assistant attorney general of the Office of Legal Counsel under President Ronald Reagan, died today at the age of 84.<\/span><\/p>\n Olson, a conservative constitutional lawyer, argued more than 60 cases before the U.S. Supreme Court.<\/span><\/p>\n Among his notable cases was Bush v. Gore, the landmark 2000 decision that settled a presidential election recount dispute in Florida that delivered Bush the White House. Years later, to many in the Capital Beltway\u2019s surprise, Olson represented same-sex couples in successfully overturning Proposition 8, a 2008 ballot referendum in California that had banned same-sex marriage.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Olson\u2019s legacy also contributed to the U.S. gaming industry, as he was instrumental in leading New Jersey\u2019s legal challenge of a federal law that had banned single-game sports wagering everywhere other than Nevada.<\/span><\/p>\n In 2010, New Jersey voters overwhelmingly backed a statewide ballot referendum to authorize sports betting. The state legislature passed a law two years later to allow sportsbooks to operate at Atlantic City casinos and horse racetracks.<\/span><\/p>\n New Jersey\u2019s sports betting law was contested by the NCAA and \u201cbig four\u201d pro sports leagues \u2014 the NFL, MLB, NBA, and NHL. New Jersey\u2019s U.S. District Court and the Third Circuit Court of Appeals sided with the leagues on their claim that the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA), being a federal law, superseded New Jersey\u2019s sports betting law.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Then-Gov. Chris Christie (R), who called Olson a friend for decades, asked the constitutional expert if he would join New Jersey\u2019s team to defend its law before the Supreme Court. Olson agreed.<\/span><\/p>\n I thought it was a wonderful opportunity to deal with a complicated but important constitutional question. I was delighted that [Christie] asked,\u201d Olson said during a 2018 interview with iGB North America<\/i><\/a>, an online media outlet focused iGaming news.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Olson successfully led New Jersey\u2019s appeal to the Supreme Court on grounds that PASPA violated anti-commandeering interpretations of the U.S. Constitution and the Tenth Amendment. In a 7-2 decision, with all conservative members of the court in the majority, the Supreme Court overturned PASPA<\/a> in May 2018.<\/span><\/p>\n The historic ruling gave states the right<\/a> to determine their laws on sports gambling. Today, nearly 40 states and Washington D.C. have legal, regulated gambling on college and professional sports.<\/span><\/p>\n Olson said the crux of the successful 2018 argument came down to the fact that Congress cannot force some states to not do something while allowing another to do that very thing.<\/span><\/p>\n![\"Ted](\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/imrs-858x564.jpg\")
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