amicus curiae

American  

[uh-mahy-kuhs kyoor-ee-ee, uh-mee-kuhs kyoor-ee-ahy] / əˈmaɪ kəs ˈkyʊər iˌi, əˈmi kəs ˈkyʊər iˌaɪ /

noun

Law.

amici curiae plural

1. a person, not a party to the litigation, who volunteers or is invited by the court to give advice upon some matter pending before it.

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amicus curiae British  

/ æˈmiːkʊs ˈkjʊərɪˌiː /

noun

1. law a person not directly engaged in a case who advises the court

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amicus curiae Cultural  

1. See friend of the court.

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Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

• amici curiae
  plural

Etymology

Origin of amicus curiae

Borrowed into English from New Latin around 1605–15

Example Sentences

As the judge made clear in his order appointing Clement amicus curiae, he wanted “the benefit of adversarial briefing” and “adversarial testing of the Government’s position.”

From Slate • Mar. 11, 2025

Snohomish, King and Pierce counties were represented as amicus curiae or friends of the court and complained that DSHS’ failures have affected local criminal legal systems across the state.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 16, 2023

They filed an amicus curiae brief in the GlaxoSmithKline vs.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 21, 2022

The writer represented the America First Policy Institute as amicus curiae in West Virginia v.

From Washington Post • Jul. 16, 2022

Word was whispered down our line that amicus curiae meant “friend of the court.”

From "Warriors Don't Cry: A Searing Memoir of the Battle to Integrate Little Rock's Central High" by Melba Pattillo Beals