GOP Takes Action to Defend DOMA

Former Solicitor General Paul Clement has been tapped by House Republicans to defend the federal law banning the recognition of same-sex marriages. House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, will try to get the money for the defense of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) out of the Justice Department's budget, The Washington Post reports.

Attorney General Eric Holder recently announced that the Obama administration will no longer defend the law in court. The administration will, however, continue to enforce the law, which is being challenged in a number of courts.

Boehner sent a letter to House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., to say he would push for the legal expenses to defend the law to come out of the Justice Department's budget. The GOP led House made its first foray into defending the law money when it filed briefs to intervene in a New York case challenging the law, the Post reported.