Firm hired by GOP ends work on gay marriage ban

[bluefrog]

LINK

A prominent law firm hired by Republican lawmakers to defend the federal ban on gay marriage ban said Monday it was withdrawing from the case amid criticism by advocacy groups, prompting the partner leading the work to quit his job there.
King & Spalding chairman Robert Hays Jr. said in a statement that he decided to withdraw the Atlanta-based firm from work representing the Defense of Marriage Act after determining the decision to take the case wasn't vetted properly.
The decision was quickly followed by the resignation of Paul Clement, an attorney with the firm who was retained by House Republican leaders after President Barack Obama's administration directed the Justice Department to stop defending the law in court.
Clement, a former U.S. solicitor general for George W. Bush, said his personal views on the law are irrelevant.

Tough break for the GOP, gettind dumped by their lawyers. I hope the $500K was returned to the taxpayers.

Does congress even have the power to defend laws in court?

 

[Minstrel]

It will become increasingly difficult to defend gay marriage bans:

http://fivethirtyeight.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/04/20/gay-marriage-opponents-now-in-minority/

A poll from CNN this week is the latest to show a majority of Americans in favor of same-sex marriage, with 51 percent saying that marriages between gay and lesbian couples “should be recognized by the law as valid” and 47 percent opposed.

This is the fourth credible poll in the past eight months to show an outright majority of Americans in favor of gay marriage. That represents quite a lot of progress for supporters of same-sex marriage. Prior to last year, there had been just one survey — a Washington Post poll conducted in April 2009 — to show support for gay marriage as the plurality position, and none had shown it with a majority.

As we noted last August, support for gay marriage seems to have been increasing at an accelerated pace over the past couple of years.

 

[Ed O]

Attorneys defend murderers and rapists on a daily basis. It's interesting that public opinion would force firms to avoid defending actual laws.

Ed O.

 

[barfo]

Attorneys defend murderers and rapists on a daily basis.

I would have thought it would be on an hourly basis.

barfo

 

[andalusian]

David Stern is an attorney. We live in a Lakers world. 'Nuff said.