Victory! King and Spalding Won't Defend Discrimination

by Brandon Miller · 2011-04-27 05:58:00 UTC
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It took them some time to get there, but American law firm King & Spalding finally decided earlier this week to pull the firm out of a contract that would see them defending the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). Change.org's Michael Jones created a petition on the issue last week.

“In reviewing this assignment further, I determined that the process used for vetting this engagement was inadequate,” said Firm Chairman Robert D. Hays Jr. “Ultimately I am responsible for any mistakes that occurred and apologize for the challenges this may have created.”

The lawyer hired to defend DOMA has resigned from King & Spalding over the decision, saying that he will take the case wherever he goes. That lawyer, former Bush Solicitor General Paul D. Clement, said the firm had a duty to resist pressures and to complete the task that it was hired to do. You know, that thing about defending anti-gay discrimination. Great task!

“I resign out of the firmly held belief that a representation should not be abandoned because the client’s legal position is extremely unpopular in certain quarters,” he wrote in a letter. “Defending unpopular clients is what lawyers do. I recognized from the outset that this statute implicates 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.”

Congratulations to everybody who signed the petition on a job well done. Perhaps we can target the next firm in the same manner (and the next, and the next...)? Down with DOMA!

Photo Credit: Against8.blogspot.com

Brandon Miller is a freelance writer and editor from Toronto, Ontario.
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