Paul D. Clement

Paul D. Clement, Solicitor General of the United States, has been handling investigations into the Bush administration's controversial U.S. attorney firings at the U.S. Department of Justice since April 2007.

Clement's name, as well as that of Michael Chertoff, has been rumored as a replacement for Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales, "whose tenure has been marred by controversy and accusations of perjury before Congress", who resigned August 27, 2007, and will leave office on September 17, 2007. Clement "could remain acting attorney general for an indefinite time after Gonzales leaves."

Clement was nominated March 11, 2004, by President George W. Bush to be Solicitor General at the Department of Justice. On July 4, 2004, he was appointed Acting Solicitor General of the United States to replace former Solicitor General Theodore B. Olson. He was confirmed by the Senate June 8, 2005. Clement had been Principal Deputy Solicitor General previously.

Profiles
The July 4, 2004, official DOJ press release] stated that, as Principal Deputy Solicitor General, Clement "represented the United States in 18 arguments before the Supreme Court. He handled cases including the Court's landmark campaign finance decision (McConnell v. FEC), an important decision expanding the rights of individuals with disabilities (Tennessee v. Lane), and the enemy combatant cases (Hamdi v. Rumsfeld and Rumsfeld v. Padilla). Mr. Clement also has represented the United States in important lower court litigation, including cases arising out of the war on terror and the GAO's suit against the Vice President. In addition, as Principal Deputy, Mr. Clement handled a portfolio including issues such as civil rights, religious liberty and government liability."

The March 11, 2005, White House nomination news release said that Clement was then serving at the Justice Department as Acting Solicitor General. "In addition, he also serves as Adjunct Professor at Georgetown University Law Center. Mr. Clement previously served as Partner and Head of Appellate Practice for King & Spalding in Washington, DC. Earlier in his career, he served as Chief Counsel for the United States Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Federalism and Property Rights. Mr. Clement earned his bachelor's degree from Georgetown University School of Foreign Service, his master's degree from Cambridge University and his J.D. from Harvard Law School."

Education

 * 1988: Georgetown University, BA, summa cum laude
 * 1989: Cambridge University, Master's Degree in economics
 * 1992: Harvard Law School, JD, magna cum laude, Supreme Court Editor of the Harvard Law Review

Experience

 * 1992-1993: law clerk to Judge Laurence Silberman of the U.S. Court of Appeals, D.C. Circuit
 * 1993-1994: law clerk to Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia
 * 1995-1998: private practise handling appellate matters
 * 1999-2001: partner in the Washington, D.C. law office of King and Spalding, headed appelate division
 * Adjunct Professor of Constitutional Law at Georgetown University Law Center

Related SourceWatch articles

 * Bush administration U.S. attorney firings controversy

External articles

 * Department of Justice, "Paul Clemet to serve as Acting Solicitor General", Media Release, July 4, 2004.
 * Vanessa Blum, "How to Get a Job at the Justice Department," Legal Times, April 26, 2005.
 * Tony Mauro, "Paul Clement Stays Cool in Court Hot Seat," Legal Times, January 1, 2007.
 * Jason McLure, "Clement to Supervise Gonzales Investigation," The BLT Blog/Legal Times, April 9, 2007.
 * Paul Kiel, "U.S. Attorney Investigation: Meet The New Boss," TPMmuckraker, April 9, 2007.