Bipartisan Legal Advisory Group
The Bipartisan Legal Advisory Group (BLAG) is a standing body of the U.S. House of Representatives. Comprising five members of the House leadership (the Speaker, the majority and minority leaders, the majority and minority whips), it directs the activities of the House Office of General Counsel.[1] The BLAG can direct the General Counsel to file an amicus curiae brief in cases involving the interests of the House, or can call for legislation or a House resolution authorizing the General Counsel to represent the House itself.[1]
During the criminal proceedings against Congressman William Jefferson of Louisiana, the BLAG filed a brief calling for the return of the Congressman's papers seized from his offices by the FBI.[2]
In 2011, when President Barack Obama announced that the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) would no longer defend the constitutionality of Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), House Speaker John Boehner convened the BLAG as a first step to having the House Office of General Counsel or other outside attorneys take the place of DOJ in defending the law.[3] Attorneys representing the BLAG filed a brief in U.S. District Court in San Francisco in Golinski_v._Office_of_Personnel_Management, opposing an action brought by a federal employee to invalidate Section 3 the Defense of Marriage Act under which health insurance coverage to her same-sex spouse was denied.[4] On February 22, 2012, U.S. District Court Judge Jeffrey White ruled for Golinski that the DOMA violated the constitutional rights of same-sex couples because it did not provide “a justification that is substantially related to an important governmental objective”.[5]
[edit] References
- ^ a b James, Martin O. (2002). Congressional Oversight. Nova Publishers. p. 122. ISBN 9781590333013. http://books.google.com/books?id=DuxiytScqu4C&pg=PA122&. Retrieved March 7, 2011. "The office "function[s] pursuant to the direction of the Speaker, who shall consult with a Bipartisan Legal Advisory Group," consisting of the majority leaders, majority whip, minority leader, and minority whip. The office has statutory authority to appear before state or federal courts in the course of performing its functions. 2 U.S.C. 130f. The office may appear as amicus curiae on behalf of the Speaker and the Bipartisan Legal Advisory Group in litigation involving the institutional interests of the House. Where authorized by statute or resolution, the general counsel may represent the House itself in judicial proceedings."
- ^ Lubbers, Jeffrey S., ed. (2007). Developments in Administrative Law and Regulatory Practice 2005-2006. American Bar Association Section of Administrative Law and Regulatory Practice. p. 21. ISBN 9781590318621. http://books.google.com/books?id=Wf-QJKXVbZYC&pg=PA21&. Retrieved February 13, 2012.
- ^ Sonmez, Felicia; Ben Pershing (March 5, 2011). "Boehner launches effort to defend gay-marriage ban". Washington Post. Archived from the original on March 7, 2011. http://www.webcitation.org/5x0nIUf57. Retrieved March 7, 2011.
- ^ "House leaders to appeal Calif. gay marriage ruling". Associated Press (San Francisco). February 24, 2012. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_GAY_MARRIAGE_FEDERAL_EMPLOYEES?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT. Retrieved 24 February, 2012.
- ^ Nagourney, Adam (February 22, 2012). "Judge’s Ruling Adds to String in Favor of Same-Sex Couples". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/23/us/ruling-adds-to-string-in-favor-of-same-sex-couples.html. Retrieved 22 February, 2012.
