Friend Of The Court Law and Legal Definition
Friend of the court is a person who is not a party to a lawsuit but who petitions the court or is requested by the court to file a brief in the action because that person has a strong interest in the subject matter. A fiend of the court if commonly referred to as ‘amicus curiae.’ The court exercises its discretion in determining whether to grant permission to participate as amicus curiae or to request the participation of an individual or group.
The following is an example of a case law on ‘amicus curiae.’:
"Amicus curiae" is a Latin phrase meaning "friend of the court." An amicus is not a party to the litigation and, therefore, does not necessarily represent the interests of any party. Instead, the role of an amicus is to assist the court in cases of general public interest by making suggestions to the court, by providing supplementary assistance to existing counsel, and by insuring a complete and plenary presentation of difficult issues so that the court may reach a proper decision. [Sierra Club v. Wagner, 2008 DNH 113 (D.N.H. 2008)].
