The press release below was originally distributed by Project Right Side and republished with permission.
On Thursday evening, Project Right Side and former RNC Chairman Ken Mehlman formally filed an amicus brief with the United States Supreme Court involving four landmark cases slated to be heard on April 28 concerning government recognition of the freedom to marry. A total of 303 Republican, libertarian, conservative and center-right high-profile activists and government officials-including past presidential candidates, seven current and former governors, twenty-three current and former members of the House of Representatives and US Senate, and amici from thirty-three states-signed onto the brief. The brief was authored by pro bono legal teams at WilmerHale led by Reg Brown, Seth Waxman and Alan Schoenfeld, and at Polsinelli led by Sean Gallagher.
The 303 signatories want to convey to the Court that they support traditional conservative values, including the belief in the importance of stable families, as well as the commitment to limited government and the protection of individual freedom. Furthermore they believe that those conservative values are consistent with affording civil marriage rights to same-sex couples. The Supreme Court has repeatedly held marriage to be a fundamental right.
In 2013, Ken Mehlman submitted a brief to the Supreme Court in Hollingsworth v. Perry, with 131 Republican amici signers; this year they more than doubled that support.
"This historic brief adds an important and different voice in the struggle for marriage equality both before the Court and also to millions of Americans at a 'teaching moment,'" Ken Mehlman said. "It is another reflection of the growing national support for freedom and liberty for gay and lesbian Americans-support that clearly crosses partisan and ideological lines."
Full text of amicus brief
Full list of signatories
Project Right Side is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit providing research and analysis to improve the political climate for gay and lesbian issues across the political spectrum. Visit www.projectrightside.com.
The full WilmerHale team included Partners Reg Brown, Felicia Ellsworth, Mark Fleming, Alan Schoenfeld, Seth Waxman and Paul Wolfson; Senior Associates Dina Mishra, Elisabeth Oppenheimer; and Associate Allison Trzop.