The law firm of King & Spalding filed a motion today to withdraw from defending the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) – a discriminatory practice that prohibits gay and lesbian marriages to be recognized under federal law.
According to the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the law firm decided to withdraw from the discriminatory defense team because it did not align with the firm’s belief and core values.
Joe Solmonese, president of the HRC, explained that “King & Spalding has rightly chosen to put principle above politics in dropping its involvement in the defense of this discriminatory and patently unconstitutional law. We are pleased to see the firm has decided to stand on the right side of history and remain true to its core values.”
The defense of DOMA has largely been opposed by the LGBT community and supporters of civil equalities because of its unconstitutional discrimination against gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender American citizens.
“Speaker Boehner is likely to pursue continued defense of this odious law. However, law firms that value LGBT equality should remain committed to those values.”
In response to the “abrupt and belated decision” to drop the defense of DOMA, Solicitor General Paul Clement resigned from the firm Monday, explaining that “the firmly held belief that a representation should not be abandoned because the client’s legal position is extremely unpopular in certain quarters. Defending unpopular clients is what lawyers do.”
“I recognized from the outset that this statute implicate very sensitive issues that prompt strong views on both sides. But having undertaken the representation, I believe there is no honorable course for me but to complete it,” Clement wrote in his resignation statement to the firm.
King & Spalding has not issued a public statement regarding their decision to drop DOMA, and has not commented on Clement’s resignation. The chairman of King & Spalding, however, stated the representation of DOMA was “inadequate,” causing the firm to drop their defense against DOMA.
