King and Spalding, the big-time Atlanta law firm that was lined up by House Speaker John Boehner to defend the indefensible Defense of Marriage Act, has decided not to take the taxpayer-financed job after all. The Human Rights Campaign suggests the firm might not have wanted to fade the heat the HRC intends to turn up. The link explains a key point often missed in discussion of this issue. The insurmountable problem with the law is the federal legal discrimination it requires for people who have been legally married in states that allow same-sex marriage.

UPDATE: A King Spalding partner has bolted the firm as a result and will pick up where he left off defending bigots. They’re entitled to lawyers, too, he says. Sounds like he found an appropriate home, with author of Patriot Act.

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MORE: Good background here from Talking Points Memo on factors contributing to King Spalding’s decision, including possible pressure from Coca Cola.

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