Former Solicitor General Dellinger Authors Freedom to Marry's Amicus Brief for U.S. Supreme Court

National campaign led in enlisting signers to multiple briefs 

New York - March 6, 2015 – Today, with former U.S. Solicitor General Walter Dellinger of O'Melveny & Myers as counsel of record, Freedom to Marry is filing a friend-of-the-court brief in support of marriage cases before the U.S. Supreme Court. The brief argues that sexual orientation discrimination should be presumed unconstitutional, even in the absence of explicit judicial heightened scrutiny, and that because there is no legitimate, evidence-based justification for marriage discrimination, the Supreme Court should affirm the freedom to marry throughout the land.

In addition to submitting its own brief, Freedom to Marry dedicated its organizing team to helping secure the nearly 400 business signers, more than 200 first responders, nearly 2000 faith leaders from all 50 states, 226 mayors from 40 cities through its Mayors for the Freedom to Marry program, and 35 young Republican operatives through its Young Conservatives for the Freedom to Marry campaign who joined the Republican brief. Noteworthy signers enlisted by Freedom to Marry include the World Champion New England Patriots; hundreds of leading clergy from all 50 states; mayors of the five largest cities in the U.S along with the U.S Conference of Mayors; chiefs of police from Los Angeles, Nashville, and Columbus; and GOP leaders including retired U.S. Senators John Danforth and Alan Simpson, and various state-elected members of the Republican Party.

"The stunning breadth and depth of the friend-of-the-court briefs submitted today, with signers from many of America's leading businesses, clergy, mayors, and others, attest to the sweeping cross-section of the American majority in favor of the freedom to marry for same-sex couples," said Evan Wolfson, president of Freedom to Marry. "The sheer numbers, diversity, and eminence of the various signers show that the freedom to marry is a truly American value, not confined by political affiliation or geography. America is ready for the Supreme Court to affirm the freedom to marry nationwide, leaving no state and no family behind."

The brief is being filed today and will be available here: freedomtomarry.org/supremecourtbriefs 


Freedom to Marry is the campaign to win marriage nationwide. We are pursuing our Roadmap to Victory by working to win the freedom to marry in more states, grow the national majority for marriage, and end federal marriage discrimination. We partner with individuals and organizations across the country to end the exclusion of same-sex couples from marriage and the protections, responsibilities, and commitment that marriage brings.

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