What do Mary Bono Mack, James B. Comey, Jon Huntsman, Ken Mehlman, Steve Schmidt, William F. Weld, and Meg Whitman have in common? In addition to being conservative leaders, they’re also signatories to a brief calling on the Supreme Court to overturn Prop. 8.

Additional names are still being added, with a final list of names to be released when the brief is filed with the Supreme Court. Enacted in November 2008, Proposition 8 eliminated the fundamental freedom of gay and lesbian Californians to marry.

• Read the full brief >

Building bi-partisan support has been part of AFER’s mission ever since the filing of its federal constitutional challenge to overturn Proposition 8. AFER assembled a bi-partisan legal team led by Theodore B. Olson, Solicitor General of the United States during the first term of President George W. Bush, and renowned litigator David Boies to demonstrate that Proposition 8 violates the United States Constitution by denying millions of people their fundamental right to marry and their right to equal protection of the laws.

In January 2010, AFER worked with Ted Olson to land a cover story in Newsweek entitled “The Conservative Case for Gay Marriage.”  This was the first time that a nationally recognized conservative of Mr. Olson’s stature had laid out the reasons why conservatives should support marriage equality.

In September 2010, AFER hosted a New York event to help shore up support for the Perry case.  The event was the first to tap into Republican support for marriage equality and was attended by members of John McCain’s presidential campaign and Mitt Romney’s 2008 presidential campaign, members of the Bush administration, corporate CEOs, two former GOP governors, and representatives from every major firm on Wall Street.  This coalition of supporters stayed together and went on to fund New York’s successful marriage equality effort in 2011 and New Hampshire’s successful effort in February 2012.

While the list of amici continues to grow, the current list includes:

1. Kenneth B. Mehlman, Chairman, Republican National Committee, 2005-2007
2. Tim Adams, Undersecretary of the Treasury for International Affairs, 2005-2007
3. Cliff S. Asness, Businessman, Philanthropist, and Author
4. David D. Aufhauser, General Counsel, Department of the Treasury, 2001-2003
5. Charles Bass, Member of Congress, 1995-2007 and 2011-2013
6. John B. Bellinger III, Legal Adviser to the Department of State, 2005-2009
7. Katie Biber, General Counsel, Romney for President, 2007-2008 and 2011-2012
8. Mary Bono Mack, Member of Congress, 1998-2013
9. William A. Burck, Deputy Staff Secretary, Special Counsel, and Deputy Counsel to the President, 2005-2009
10. Alex Castellanos, Republican Media Advisor
11. Paul Cellucci, Governor of Massachusetts, 1997-2001, and Ambassador to Canada, 2001-2005
12. David C. Chavern, Business Association Executive
13. Mary Cheney, Director of Vice Presidential Operations, Bush-Cheney 2004, 2003-2004
14. Thomas J. Christensen, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, 2006-2008
15. Jim Cicconi, Assistant to the President and Deputy to the Chief of Staff, 1989-1990
16. James B. Comey, U.S. Deputy Attorney General, 2003-2005
17. Jeff Cook-McCormac, Senior Advisor, American Unity PAC
18. R. Clarke Cooper, U.S. Alternative Representative, United Nations Security Council, 2007-2009
19. Julie Cram, Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of the White House Office of Public Liaison, 2007-2009
20. S.E. Cupp, Author and Political Commentator
21. Michele Davis, Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs and Director of Policy Planning, Department of the Treasury, 2006-2009
22. Tyler Deaton, Secretary, New Hampshire Young Republicans, 2011-Present
23. Alicia Davis Downs, Associate Political Director, White House, 2001-2003
24. Kenneth M. Duberstein, White House Chief of Staff and Assistant to the President, 1981-1984 and 1987-1989
25. Janet Duprey, New York State Assemblywoman, 2007-Present
26. Clint Eastwood, Producer, Director, Actor, and Mayor of Carmel, California, 1986-1988
27. Christian J. Edwards, Special Assistant to the President and Director of Press Advance, 2005-2007
28. Lew Eisenberg, Finance Chairman, Republican National Committee, 2002-2004
29. Mark J. Ellis, State Chairman, Maine Republican Party, 2005-2006 and 2007-2009
30. Elizabeth Noyer Feld, Public Affairs Specialist, White House Office of Management and Budget, 1984-1987
31. Charles Freeman, Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for China Affairs, 2002-2005
32. David Frum, Author and Special Assistant to the President, 2001-2002
33. Reed Galen, Director of Scheduling and Advance, Bush-Cheney 2004, 2003-2004
34. Richard Galen, Communications Director, Speaker’s Political Office, 1996-1997
35. Mark Gerson, Chairman, Gerson Lehrman Group and Author of The Neoconservative Vision: From the Cold War to the Culture Wars and In the Classroom: Dispatches from an Inner-City School that Works
36. Benjamin Ginsberg, National Counsel, Bush-Cheney 2000 and 2004
37. Josh Ginsberg, National Field Director, Romney for President, 2007-2008
38. Juleanna Glover, Press Secretary to the Vice President, 2001-2002
39. John Goodwin, Chief of Staff to Raul Labrador, Member of Congress, 2011-2013
40. Adrian Gray, Director of Strategy, Republican National Committee, 2005-2007
41. Richard Grenell, Spokesman, U.S. Ambassadors to the United Nations, 2001-2008
42. Mark Grisanti,  New York State Senator, 2011-Present
43. Patrick Guerriero, Mayor of Melrose, Massachusetts, and Member of Massachusetts House of Representatives, 1993-2001
44. Carlos Gutierrez, Secretary of Commerce, 2005-2009
45. Stephen Hadley, Assistant to the President and National Security Advisor, 2005-2009
46. Richard L. Hanna, Member of Congress, 2011-Present
47. Jill Hazelbaker, Communications Director, John McCain for President, 2007-2008
48. Israel Hernandez, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for International Trade, 2005-2009
49. Douglas Holtz-Eakin, Director, Congressional Budget Office, 2003-2005
50. Margaret Hoover, Advisor to the Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security, 2005-2006
51. Michael Huffington, Member of Congress, 1993-1995
52. Jon Huntsman, Governor of Utah, 2005-2009, and Ambassador to China, 2009-2011
53. David A. Javdan, General Counsel, U.S. Small Business Administration, 2002-2006
54. Reuben Jeffery, Undersecretary of State for Economic, Energy, and Agricultural Affairs, 2007-2009
55. Greg Jenkins, Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of Presidential Advance, 2003-2004
56. Coddy Johnson, National Field Director, Bush-Cheney 2004, 2003-2004
57. Gary Johnson, Governor of New Mexico, 1995-2003, and Libertarian Party Nominee for President, 2012
58. Nancy L. Johnson, Member of Congress, 1983-2007
59. Robert Kabel, Special Assistant to the President for Legislative Affairs, 1982-1985
60. Neel Kashkari, Assistant Secretary of the Treasury, 2008-2009
61. Theodore W. Kassinger, Deputy Secretary of Commerce, 2004-2005
62. Jonathan Kislak, Deputy Undersecretary of Agriculture for Small Community and Rural Development, 1989-1991
63. David Kochel, Senior Iowa Advisor, Mitt Romney for President, 2007-2008 and 2011-2012
64. James Kolbe, Member of Congress, 1985-2007
65. Cyrus Krohn, eCampaign Director, Republican National Committee, 2007-2009
66. Jeffrey Kupfer, Chief of Staff and Acting Deputy Secretary, Department of Energy, 2006-2009
67. Ed Kutler, Assistant to the Speaker of the House, 1995-1997
68. Kathryn Lehman, Chief of Staff, House Republican Conference, 2003-2005
69. Thomas A. Little, Vermont State Representative, 1992-2002 and Chairman of the Vermont House Judiciary Committee, 1999-2002
70. Daniel S. Loeb, Businessman and Philanthropist
71. Alex Lundry, Director of Data Science, Romney for President, 2012
72. N. Greg Mankiw, Chairman, Council of Economic Advisers, 2003-2005
73. Catherine Martin, Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy Communications Director for Policy and Planning, 2005-2007
74. Kevin Martin, Chairman, Federal Communications Commission, 2005-2009
75. David McCormick, Undersecretary of the Treasury for International Affairs, 2007-2009
76. Mark McKinnon, Republican Media Advisor
77. Aaron McLear, Press Secretary to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, 2007-2011
78. Bruce P. Mehlman, Assistant Secretary of Commerce, 2001-2003
79. Susan Molinari, Member of Congress, 1990-1997
80. Connie Morella, Member of Congress, 1987-2003, and U.S. Ambassador to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, 2003-2007
81. Michael E. Murphy, Republican Political Consultant
82. Beth Myers, Romney for President Campaign Manager, 2007-2008 and Senior Advisor, 2011-2012
83. Michael Napolitano, White House Office of Political Affairs, 2001-2003
84. Ana Navarro, National Hispanic Co-Chair, John McCain for President, 2008
85. Susan Neely, Special Assistant to the President, 2001-2002
86. Noam Neusner, Special Assistant to the President for Economic Speechwriting, 2002-2005
87. B.J. Nikkel, Colorado State Representative and Majority Whip, 2009-2012, and District Director for Marilyn Musgrave, Member of Congress, 2002-2006
88. Meghan O’Sullivan, Deputy National Security Advisor for Iraq and Afghanistan, 2005-2007
89. Richard Painter, Associate Counsel to the President, 2005-2007
90. Ruth Ann Petroff, Wyoming State Representative, 2011-Present
91. Nancy Pfotenhauer, Regulatory Advisor, Romney for President, 2008, and Economist, Presidential Transition Team, 1988
92. Gregg Pitts, Director, White House Travel Office, 2006-2009
93. J. Stanley Pottinger, Assistant U.S. Attorney General, Civil Rights Division, 1973-1977
94. Michael Powell, Chairman, Federal Communications Commission, 2001-2005
95. Larry Pressler, U.S. Senator from South Dakota, 1979-1997, and Member of Congress, 1975-1979
96. Deborah Pryce, Member of Congress, 1993-2009
97. John Reagan, New Hampshire State Senator, 2012-Present
98. Luis Reyes, Special Assistant to the President and Deputy Assistant to the President, 2006-2009
99. Tom Ridge,  Governor of Pennsylvania, 1995-2001, and Secretary of Homeland Security, 2003-2005
100. Mark A. Robbins, General Counsel, U.S. Office of Personnel Management, 2001-2006
101. Kelley Robertson, Chief of Staff, Republican National Committee, 2005-2007
102. Brian Roehrkasse, Director of Public Affairs, Department of Justice, 2007-2009
103. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Member of Congress, 1989-Present
104. Harvey S. Rosen, Chairman and Member, Council of Economic Advisers, 2003-2005
105. Lee Rudofsky, Deputy General Counsel, Romney for President, 2012
106. Patrick Ruffini, eCampaign Director, Republican National Committee, 2005-2007
107. Corry Schiermeyer, Director for Global Communications, National Security Council, 2005-2007
108. Steve Schmidt, Deputy Assistant to the President and Counselor to the Vice President, 2004-2006, and Senior Advisor, John McCain for President, 2008
109. Adam Schroadter, New Hampshire State Representative, 2010-Present
110. Christopher Shays, Member of Congress, 1987-2009
111. Faryar Shirzad, Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy National Security Advisor for International Economic Affairs, 2004-2006
112. Ken Spain, Communications Director, National Republican Congressional Committee, 2009-2010
113. Robert Steel, Undersecretary of the Treasury for Domestic Finance, 2006-2008
114. Nancy Stiles, New Hampshire State Senator, 2010-Present
115. David Stockman, Director, Office of Management and Budget, 1981-1985
116. Jane Swift, Governor of Massachusetts, 2001-2003
117. Richard Tisei, Massachusetts State Senator 1991-2011, and Senate Minority Leader 2007-2011
118. Michael E. Toner, Chairman and Commissioner, Federal Election Commission, 2002-2007
119. Frances Fragos Townsend, Homeland Security Advisor to the President, 2004-2008
120. Michael Turk, eCampaign Director for Bush-Cheney 2004, 2003-2004
121. John Ullyot, Communications Director, U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee, 2003-2007
122. Sally A. Vastola, Executive Director, National Republican Congressional Committee, 2003-2006
123. Jacob P. Wagner, Chairman, New Hampshire Federation of College Republicans, 2012-Present
124. Mark Wallace, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Representative for UN Management and Reform, 2006-2008
125. Nicolle Wallace, Assistant to the President and White House Communications Director, 2005-2008
126. William F. Weld, Governor of Massachusetts, 1991-1997, and Assistant U.S. Attorney General, Criminal Division, 1986-1988
127. Christine Todd Whitman, Governor of New Jersey, 1994-2001, and Administrator of the EPA, 2001-2003
128. Meg Whitman, Republican Nominee for Governor of California, 2010
129. Robert Wickers, Republican Political Consultant
130. Paul Wolfowitz, Deputy Secretary of Defense, 2001-2005, and President of the World Bank Group, 2005-2007
131. Dan Zwonitzer, Wyoming State Representative, 2005-present