friend of the court

plural friends of the court · alternative friend-of-the-court

1. CanadaUSlawAmicus curiae, a person or organization allowed to argue in court who is not a party to the legal action.

   He did not know whether Mr. Henry appeared as the friend of the Court, or in behalf of the State.

   1867 December 15, “Contempt. Proceedings of the Criminal Court Yesterday”, in The Daily Memphis Avalanche, page 2

   3 more examples

   Finally, the two Third Circuit cases cited by the friends of the Court have, as they themselves say, been legislatively overruled.

   1948, United States Court of Appeals For the Ninth Circuit, No. 12027 Estate of Frank K. Sullivan […] v. Commissioner of Internal Revenue, page 12

   the Union and its affiliates across the nation intervened — through test suits and friend of the court briefs, through educational programs, and through public statements of policy and protest.

   1958 January 2, American Civil Liberties Union, News Release, New York

   Thus far, these pronuclear public interest law firms have usually contributed friend-of-the-court briefs to existing litigation, rather than filing suits themselves.

   1980, Constance Ewing Cook, Nuclear Power and Legal Advocacy, page 23

   Synonyms: amicus, intervenor