The House has hired a new lawyer to prosecute its lawsuit against President Obama after previous counsel bowed out, citing political pressure, the House Administration Committee confirmed on Friday.
William A. Burck has been retained as the lead outside attorney in a House Republican initiated lawsuit challenging as unconstitutional Obama’s 2013 decision to unilaterally delay the implementation of the Affordable Care Act’s employer mandate.
Burck previously served as outside counsel for the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform in a lawsuit brought against Attorney General Eric Holder.
A House Republican source familiar with the Obamacare lawsuit said that the attorney originally retained to represent the House, David Rivkin, backed out because his firm, BakerHostetler, was under political pressure from other clients to drop the case.
Rivkin previously planned to leave BakerHostetler and start his own firm so that he could remain as the lead outside counsel.
The House passed a resolution to authorize the lawsuit on July 30. House Administration Chairman Candice Miller, R-Mich., signed a contract with BakerHostetler on Aug. 22. Rivkin informed House counsel on Sept. 2 that his firm was going to drop the case, citing political pressure.
Rivkin said two days later that he intended to leave BakerHostetler so that he could continue as lead outside counsel in the Obamacare lawsuit — but by Sept. 9 he had changed his mind.
“We knew that Speaker Boehner’s $500-per-hour lawsuit was unpopular with the American people. Now, we know it’s just bad business,” said Drew Hammill, spokesman for House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.
On Friday, House counsel terminated its contract with BakerHostetler and Miller signed a new one with Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan. Burck helps run the firm’s Washington, D.C., office.
