That xxxx TRUMPS my/your xxxx

[Sam Clements]

I must fall asleep from time to time.  And when I awaken, I notice people
are dressed differently and speak in another language.

WHEN did it become chic to use the term "trump" in daily language?  By that
I mean such a sentence as I read in my morning Akron Beacon Journal, quoting
a Johns Hopkins professor:  "It's hard for me to see how that trumps a
person's right to know."

Over at the Straight Dope Message Board, I've notice a rather intelligent
lawyer using it quite often, as in "the Supreme's decision trumps the lower
court's."

Do I just lead a dreadfully sheltered, small-town life?  Or is this a rather
recent(last few years) usage of the word?