“Thanks to Speaker Boehner's actions, President Obama's attempt to sabotage the legal defense of DOMA is not going to work.” - Brian Brown, President of NOM
WASHINGTON – House Speaker John Boehner has announced Paul Clement as the attorney to defend the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) in court since President Obama instructed the Justice Department to give up on defending the law earlier this year.
"At last we have a legal eagle on this case who actually wants to win in court! Paul Clement is a genuinely distinguished lawyer, a former Solicitor General of the United States, who we are confident will win this case. Thanks to Speaker Boehner's actions, President Obama's attempt to sabotage the legal defense of DOMA is not going to work," said Brian Brown, president of the National Organization for Marriage (NOM) "Speaker Boehner is also quite right that the money to defend DOMA should be deducted from the Justice Department's budget, since they will be doing the job DOJ should have done, but refused to do."
"Federalism works both ways: Congress has the right to define marriage and family for the purpose of federal law, and has often done so in particular legislation.. DOMA’s definition of marriage as the union of one man and one woman is not only constitutionally defensible--it is the reigning Supreme Court precedent under Baker v. Nelson," added Maggie Gallagher, Chairman of NOM.
Background on Paul Clement:
Paul D. Clement is a partner in the Washington, D.C., office of King & Spalding, and head of the firm’s national appellate practice. Mr. Clement served as the 43rd Solicitor General of the United States from June 2005 until June 2008. Prior to his confirmation as Solicitor General, he served as Acting Solicitor General for nearly a year and as Principal Deputy Solicitor General for over three years. His more than seven years of service in the Office of Solicitor General is the longest period of continuous service in the Office by a Solicitor General since the Nineteenth Century. He has argued over 50 cases before the United States Supreme Court, including McConnell v. FEC, Tennessee v. Lane, Rumsfeld v. Padilla,Credit Suisse v. Billing, United States v. Booker, MGM v. Grokster, and McDonald v.Chicago. He also argued many of the government’s most important cases in the lower courts, such as Walker v. Cheney and the successful appeal in United States v. Moussaoui.
Clement's honors include: Edmund Randolph Award, United States Department of Justice’s highest honor, the Office of the Secretary of Defense Medal for Exceptional Public Service, Chambers USA, Nationally Ranked Band-1 Individual, Appellate LawFinalist, Public Justice Foundation, 2010 Trial Lawyer of Year Award, “Supreme Performer” in “Top Litigators Under 45”, American Lawyer, January 2007
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