King and Spalding Cave to Political Pressure; Clement Leaves Firm to Represent House in Defense of DOMA

WASHINGTON – Today, Committee on House Administration Chairman Dan Lungren, R-Calif., issued the following statement after former Solicitor General Paul Clement resigned from King and Spalding and announced that he will continue to represent the House defending the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA):

"I want to express my gratitude to former Solicitor General Clement. I admire his unwavering commitment to his clients and his dedication to uphold the law – qualities that appear to be inconsequential at King and Spalding where politics and profit now appear to come first.

"King and Spalding's cut and run approach is inexcusable and an insult to the legal profession. Less than one week after the contract was approved engaging the firm, they buckled under political pressure and bailed with little regard for their ethical and legal obligations. Fortunately, Clement does not share the same principles. I'm confident that with him at the helm, we will fight to ensure the courts – not the President – determine DOMA's constitutionality."