Top US Lawyer EXPOSED in $50M Poker Scandal

For two decades, Tom Goldstein was at the top of the legal world. He argued more cases before the United States Supreme Court than almost any private attorney. He founded SCOTUSblog, a legal blog that quickly became the go-to source for Supreme Court analysis. He lectured at Stanford University and Harvard University and regularly appeared on national news programs.

But Goldstein had another life. When he wasn’t arguing before Supreme Court justices, Goldstein was flying to Hollywood or Hong Kong and winning or losing millions in ultra-high-stakes poker matches. He played heads-up against California businessmen and foreign gamblers, at one point allegedly winning over $50 million in just a few sessions.

Goldstein’s luck turned in January 2025 when the US Department of Justice a federal grand jury initiated a 22-count indictment, accusing the attorney of failing to report millions in poker winnings and diverting law firm funds to pay his personal poker debts.

In this PokerNews Special, the PokerNews team does a deep dive into the shocking fall from grace of one of the nation's most respected attorneys.