Breitbart News has learned exclusively that Clint Eastwood has signed an amicus brief to the Supreme Court, supporting the right of same-sex couples to marry. The brief, which will be released later this evening, has signatures from more than 100 Republican and conservative activists. It involves the case before the Supreme Court, seeking to overturn CA’s Proposition 8, which banned same-sex marriage in the state.
A well-placed GOP source provided Breitbart News with an early glimpse of the brief.
Whether same-sex couples should have access to civil marriage divides thoughtful, concerned citizens. But this Court has long recognized that a belief, no matter how strongly or sincerely held, cannot justify a legal distinction that is unsupported by a factual basis, especially where something as important as civil marriage is concerned. … Our constitutional tradition requires the judiciary to protect our most cherished liberties against overreaching by the legislature or the electorate, and that principle, no less than our commitment to democratic self-government, is necessary to individual freedom and limited government. It is precisely at moments like this-when discriminatory laws appear to reflect unexamined, unfounded, or unwarranted assumptions rather than facts and evidence, and the rights of one group of citizens hangs in the balance-that this Court’s intervention is most needed.
A long-time Republican with strong libertarian leanings, Eastwood has become increasingly vocal politically. He uncharacteristically campaigned in support of Mitt Romney’s Presidential campaign. Signing onto this Supreme Court brief suggests Eastwood is going to stay active in the political landscape.