amicus curiae

noun amicus cu·ri·ae \ -ˈkyu̇r-ē-ˌī , -ˈku̇r- , -i-ˌē \

Definition of amicus curiae

plural amici curiae

: one (such as a professional person or organization) that is not a party to a particular litigation but that is permitted by the court to advise it in respect to some matter of law that directly affects the case in question

Recent Examples of amicus curiae from the Web

City Attorney Michael McGuinness said Friday is the court’s deadline to file an amicus curiae brief.

— michael smolens, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Red California's revenge on sanctuary laws," 6 Apr. 2018
The Supreme Court’s ruling in Green v. Biddle, in 1821, the first American court case on record to involve an amicus curiae: the Kentucky statesman Henry Clay.

— zachary mider, Bloomberg.com, "How ‘Friends’ of the Court Can Tip the Scales of Justice," 12 Sep. 2017
Potential competition Public Knowledge was joined by the Consumer Federation of America (CFA) and New Networks in an amicus curiae brief that asked the US Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit to vacate the FCC's order.

— jon brodkin, Ars Technica, "FCC’s claim that one ISP counts as “competition” faces scrutiny in court," 10 Oct. 2017
The amicus curiae, or friend of the court, sits outside the adversarial system that prevails in American courtrooms.

— zachary mider, Bloomberg.com, "How ‘Friends’ of the Court Can Tip the Scales of Justice," 12 Sep. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'amicus curiae.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of amicus curiae

New Latin, literally, friend of the court

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1612

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

Law Dictionary

amicus curiae

noun amicus cu·ri·ae \ -ˈkyu̇r-ē-ˌī, -ˈku̇r-, -ē-ˌē \

legal Definition of amicus curiae

plural amici curiae

: one (as an individual or organization) that is not a party to a particular lawsuit but is allowed to advise the court regarding a point of law or fact directly concerning the lawsuit