Mormon Bush holdover filed anti-gay DOMA brief today

[Ian David]

Friday, June 12, 2009
Mormon Bush holdover filed anti-gay DOMA brief today
by John Aravosis (DC) on 6/12/2009 08:46:00 PM



Now we have a big problem. Andrew Sullivan discovered that one of the three Obama Justice Department attorneys who wrote and filed the anti-gay DOMA brief last night is W. Scott Simpson, a Mormon Bush holdover who was awarded by Alberto Gonzales for his defense of the Partial Birth Abortion act. Funny, on first reading the brief this morning, I wrote the following:
http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2009/06/who-wrote-the-doma-brief.html

It's pretty despicable, and gratuitously homophobic. It reads as if it were written by one of George Bush's top political appointees.
http://www.americablog.com/2009/06/obama-justice-department-defends-doma.html


And it was! At least a Bush employee. And a Mormon to boot.

No wonder the brief was so filled with hate and bigoted religious right talking points, such as comparing gay marriage to incest and pederasty. Obama let a Mormon Bush Justice Dept. employee create his public position on DOMA with the courts. This is really beyond the pale. I can't wait until Obama let's W. Scott Simpson write the brief in favor of overturning Roe v. Wade.
http://www.americablog.com/2009/06/obama-justice-department-defends-doma.html

More:
http://www.americablog.com/2009/06/mormon-bush-holdover-filed-anti-gay.html


Hat-tip to: http://twitter.com/GayRainArmy/status/2149240238

[MNBrewer]

1. seems like he's an Obama employee NOW!

[Ian David]

2. If McCain were President, you'd be in retraining camp by now. n/t

[NMMNG]

4. And if we were in Iran we'd be hung or have our anuses glued shut.

What's your point?

[MNBrewer]

5. LOL

Do you REALLY believe that? REALLY?????

[Ian David]

11. Yes. Yes, I do. n/t

[MNBrewer]

9. Ooo... lemme try!

If Willie Wonka were President, I would be turned into a big, blue sphere, and rolled away to an indeterminate fate!

Or,

If Aslan were President, he would breathe his warm lion-breath on me, and all my anger at injustice in the world would melt away.

Or,

If Paul-Muuad'dib were President, he would use "the voice" on me, to make me do what he wanted!

[QC]

12. If my aunt had balls, she'd be my uncle!

Hey, this is fun!

[Chovexani]

19. I love you so much

:rofl:

Wait, wait I got one: if Q were President we'd all be put on trial and sent through a temporal anomaly!

[Bluenorthwest]

14. Bush did not do that, nor Reagan

what makes you think McCain would? Such fear mongering comes from the bully playbook if you ask me. Like a freaking baseless threat.
What do you have to support that notion? Other than needing something to say in defense of the hate speech out of the DOJ today?

[Starry Messenger]

3. We know.

I've already been told in another thread I'm as bigoted as they are for being angry about it.

[xchrom]

6. he's an obama admin employee now. nt

[MNBrewer]

7. Yep.... he just changed the picture of his boss on the wall

he still draws a check from Uncle Sam!

[xchrom]

8. same shit -- different day. nt

[MNBrewer]

10. Meet the new boss!

Right? hehe

[ThomCat]

13. I'm assuming he reports to Holder, an Obama appointee,

who assigned him to this case.

I'm assuming his discussed and cleared what he was doing with the department, what position he was going to take and what arguments he was going to use, and wasn't acting as a loose cannon. Otherwise I would expect the DoJ to speak out and say something about his views not being cleared in advance and representing the views of the administration.

The DoJ hasn't said anything, so regardless of who hired him, he represents the Obama administration now. He spoke for them. :(

[donco6]

20. There is no way this brief was filed without extensive vetting sessions.

This was an important case. It would have been assigned to a squadron of attorneys.

[bluedawg12]

21. We know where the buck starts - the top name on the brief

and where it ends, at the top of the chain of command.

The brief was an attack on gay justice as sure as if it were written by the rightwing.

[Bluenorthwest]

15. Mormon Obama official filed anti-gay brief today

Let's be honest with our headlines, I've been told headlines are really important to the defense of this hate speech brief.
One of the three Obama employees who filed it was kept over from Bush, by his new boss Obama. The other two who filed the brief seem to be Obama's very own hires, not the ones he liked so much he kept them from Bush/Cheney's recommend, a recommendation to be highly honored, don't you think?
Obama employees file anti gay brief.

[Ms. Toad]

16. Sorry - the top name on the list,

without whose consent it would have been (legally) unethical to file the motion is hand picked by Obama.

[bluedawg12]

18. Yup. Atty. Tony West Assist. Atty. Gen. hand picked.

http://www.equaljusticesociety.org/2009/01/president-appoints-tony-west-as-asst-attorney-general-civil-division/

President Appoints Tony West as Asst. Attorney General, Civil Division
Posted by keith on Friday, January 23, 2009 ·

President Barack Obama yesterday announced his nomination of Morrison & Foerster partner Tony West to serve as Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Division of the Department of Justice.

“I am grateful to have these distinguished individuals joining my administration, and I have the greatest confidence that their service will meet the highest standards of this department,” said President Obama. “The American people deserve to have faith that their Justice Department will keep them safe and uphold our most basic rights. This group has the depth of experience and integrity necessary to accomplish these goals.”

“Tony has been an outstanding leader in the firm,” said Steven M. Kaufmann, the Chair of Morrison & Foerster’s Litigation Department in a statement. “He is a tremendous trial lawyer, mentor, and colleague. We will miss Tony as our partner, but are proud that he will bring the skill, values, and dedication that he demonstrated at Morrison & Foerster to the service of the American people. The Justice Department gains a tireless public servant and talented lawyer.”

Tony has been a longtime supporter of the Equal Justice Society. In 2006, he hosted at MoFo and emceed a packed gathering of summer law firm associates to introduce them to the Rollback Campaign. EJS organized and promoted the event.

All of us at EJS congratulate Tony on his appointment and wish him the best at DOJ.

EJS:

http://www.equaljusticesociety.org/grandalliance/

Marriage Equality
· Submitted an amicus brief in support of the California Supreme Court’s decision to affirm the right to marry for same sex couples
· Participated in campaign to defeat Proposition 8 in November, 2008
· Signed onto an amicus brief challenging the validity of Prop 8 as part of a coalition of organizations representing communities of color and facilitated LGBT/Black alliance in the wake of Prop 8’s passage

[Metta]

17. So,we should be happy things aren't worse? Is that what we voted for?

I don't think so.

[ColbertWatcher]

22. One of three? Who were the other two? Were they also Dumbass holdovers? n/t