Washington, D.C. has long had paid services that wait for clients seeking seats at congressional or judicial proceedings. In 2017, however, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit announced that only people who actually intended to attend argument could line up inside the courthouse and that “line standers” were not permitted.
Because a market exists for buying another person’s wait, organizers must decide who counts as a legitimate body in line. Paid waiting and a rule requiring personal presence collide at the courthouse door.