Paul Clement

This article is about the former United States Solicitor General. For the English football manager, see Paul Clement (football manager).
Not to be confused with Paul Clemente or Paul Clements.

Paul Clement
Official portrait, 2005
Acting United States Attorney General
In office
September 17, 2007 – September 18, 2007
PresidentGeorge W. Bush
Preceded byAlberto Gonzales
Succeeded byPeter Keisler (acting)
43rd United States Solicitor General
In office
July 11, 2004 – June 19, 2008
Acting: July 11, 2004 – June 13, 2005
PresidentGeorge W. Bush
Preceded byTed Olson
Succeeded byGregory Garre
United States Principal Deputy Solicitor General
In office
February 2001 – July 11, 2004
PresidentGeorge W. Bush
Preceded byBarbara Underwood
Succeeded byDaryl Joseffer
Personal details
Born
Paul Drew Clement

(1966-06-24) June 24, 1966 (age 58)
Cedarburg, Wisconsin, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
EducationGeorgetown University (BS)
Darwin College, Cambridge (MPhil)
Harvard University (JD)

Paul Drew Clement (born June 24, 1966) is an American lawyer who served as U.S. Solicitor General from 2004 to 2008 and is known for his advocacy before the U.S. Supreme Court. He established his own law firm, Clement & Murphy, in 2022 after leaving Kirkland & Ellis, following that firm’s decision to end its Second Amendment work.[1][2] He is also a Distinguished Lecturer in Law at Georgetown University and an adjunct professor at New York University School of Law. He was nominated by President George W. Bush on March 14, 2005, for the post of Solicitor General, confirmed by the United States Senate on June 8, 2005, and took the oath of office on June 13.

Clement resigned on May 14, 2008, effective June 2, 2008, and joined the Georgetown University Law Center as a visiting professor and senior fellow at the Supreme Court Institute.[3]

During his career, Clement has argued cases on behalf of many conservative causes, such as opposing gun control;[4] defending a ban on federal recognition of same-sex marriage;[5] advocating to overturn the Affordable Care Act;[6] defending Republican gerrymandering in North Carolina (Rucho v. Common Cause); and, as Acting Solicitor General, defending the Bush administration's treatment of terrorism suspects.[7]

  1. ^ "Paul D. Clement, Appellate Lawyer". Clement & Murphy. Retrieved July 27, 2022.
  2. ^ "Kirkland & Ellis's Adieu to the NRA: Out, Out Damn Spot! (1)". news.bloomberglaw.com. Retrieved July 27, 2022.
  3. ^ Biskupic, Joan (October 23, 2008). "For divided high court, two potential legacies". USA Today. Retrieved October 25, 2008.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference gun-rights was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference DOMA was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference New York Times-Sack-2011-10-27 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Blum, Vanessa (January 16, 2004). "Point Man: Paul Clement leads the charge in defending the administration's tactics in the war on terror". Legal Times. Archived from the original on February 13, 2005. Retrieved September 3, 2023.