For major cases at the U.S. Supreme Court, people line up early for a limited number of courtroom seats. Some places were held by paid stand-ins working for lawyers or clients. In 2015 the Court clarified that only Bar members who actually intended to attend argument could join the Bar line and expressly banned line standers. The need for the rule was itself evidence that paid placeholders had been used.
Admission may still proceed in arrival order, but the meaning of fairness changes when arrival time can be purchased. One person spends a cold morning waiting for another. The line is shared, while ownership of the hours is not.