There were close to 250 seats reserved for the public at the Supreme Court for both of the same-sex marriage cases that will be heard starting on Tuesday. This past weekend, some 30 people waited in line for those seats, according to the New York Times.
“There’s been a huge demand for standing in line,” said John Winslow, director of operations for LineStanding.com. The company will have someone stand in line for clients who want to attend Congressional and Supreme Court hearings. The cost of $50 per hour. “I’ve got between 50 and 60 people available, and I’m anticipating that I’ll have to dip into my fleet of couriers. There’s probably about only two or three other big companies in this space, but it certainly is competitive.”
Former congressman Barney Frank, a Democrat from Massachusetts, does not like the idea of paying people to stand in line to hold places. He said it all could be avoided if they aired the hearings on TV.
“It’s a disgrace that they do not allow these hearings to be televised,” he said. “My presence couldn’t possibly influence anybody to vote for it.”
The case that helped this business become successful was the arguments surrounding President Barack Obama’s health care reform.
“That one was historically significant and the first time we’ve ever done three days in line at the Supreme Court,” Winslow said. “Prior to that, the max was 24 hours. Obama health care set the bar.”
One person who had been standing in line since Friday is Jason Wonacott. Wonacott is 24 and from Washington. He said, “I really like the individual people in this line. We get along really well, and they are very friendly people. I like all of them. But about place-holding, I don’t think it’s about the people actually standing in line. It’s just another example of how in government if you have money you have access.”