Supreme Court's Top Attorney Steps Down
WASHINGTON — The U.S. solicitor general, Paul Clement, announced his resignation yesterday, ending a seven-year run of arguing the Bush administration's terrorism cases and other controversial legal positions before the Supreme Court.
The conservative Mr. Clement will leave his post June 2 — a few weeks before the nation's highest court adjourns for summer break.
An official said Mr. Clement has no plans other than spending the summer with his children. Attorney General Mukasey called Mr. Clement "one of the nation's finest appellate lawyers."
"I will miss not only Paul's superb advocacy on behalf of the United States, but also his wise counsel and keen legal analysis," Mr. Mukasey said in a statement.
As the department's no. 4 official for 3 years and principal deputy solicitor general for four years before that, Mr. Clement argued 49 cases before the Supreme Court. The court sided with him in "the vast majority of cases," the Justice Department said, including:
* Gonzales v. Raich, upholding Congress's right to ban medicinal marijuana over state laws allowing it.
* Gonzales v. Carhart, declaring laws prohibiting so-called partial birth abortions as constitutional.
* McConnell v. FEC, which found that disallowing soft money in political campaigns did not violate protections on free speech.
