OFFICIALS LEGISLATION INTEREST GROUPS PUBLIC STATEMENTS COMMITTEES VETOES

Joint Statement by Respect for Marriage Act Sponsors on King & Spalding's Withdrawal from DOMA Defense

Statement

Date: April 25, 2011
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Civil Liberties and Civil Rights Defense Marriage Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity

Today, in response to the announcement that King & Spalding will no longer represent the House of Representatives in defending the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) in court, Representatives Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Jared Polis (D-CO), and John Conyers (D-MI), lead sponsors of the Respect for Marriage Act to repeal DOMA, issued the following joint statement:

"King & Spalding's withdrawal from their representation of the Bipartisan Legal Advisory Group of the House of Representatives is yet another blow to House Republican Leaders' efforts to defend DOMA in court. Whatever the firm's reasoning -- whether they now agree with the President and Attorney General that the law is legally and factually indefensible or have decided that defending DOMA is unacceptable to many of their partners and employees -- their withdrawal confirms what is increasingly obvious: it is patently wrong to defend this harmful law. Congress should pass the Respect for Marriage Act and repeal DOMA once and for all."


Source
arrow_upward