FRIEND OF THE COURT
A person who has a strong interest in a matter that
is the subject of a lawsuit in which he or she is not
a party.
A friend of the court may be given permis-
sion by the court to file a written statement of
his or her views on the subject, ostensibly to bol-
ster the case of one party but even more to per-
suade the court to adopt the party’s views. The
Latin translation, AMICUS CURIAE, is used most
often for a friend of the court; the written argu-
ment that he or she files may be called an ami-
