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Glite Dictionary
amicus curiae

amicus curiae

1 9.9
A person or organization that gives the court information and advice in a case they are not part of
  • noun
  • /əˈmɪkəs ˈkjʊəriˌeɪ/
  • Formal
translation icon : amicus curiae
  • Attorneys General and Secretaries of State representing 33 states have joined as amicus curiae in a pair of Ohio cases meant to challenge Buckley.
  • amicus curiae brief

Examples

  • A second mechanism is filing an amicus curiae (friend of the court) brief.

    Academic text (2006)

  • The ABA filed an amicus curiae brief in Romer in support of the respondents.

    Academic text (1995)

  • An amicus curiae was appointed in this case.

    Blog text (10)

  • Also, most of us belong to or support other groups that might be persuaded to file an amicus curiae.

    Blog text (4)

  • The CCA is authorized to appear as amicus curiae in any action brought in a court of the United States to review a rule.

    Academic text (1995)

  • The amicus curiae's responsibility was to speak for unrepresented views before the Court and to review the many affidavits filed with the Court.

    Academic text (2005)

  • Over the years, the church has filed dozens of amicus curiae (friend of the court) briefs with the U.S. Supreme Court.

    Academic text (1993)

  • Overall, 73 amicus curiae (friend-of-the-court briefs) were filed in support of the University of Texas at Austin's holistic admissions policy.

    Blog text (31)

  • The ABA filed an amicus curiae brief to provide expert opinions on the case.

  • In the landmark decision, several organizations participated as amicus curiae to represent public interests.

Synonyms

amicus
vsamicus curiae
  • Formal
4 9.9

A person or group not part of a court case who gives information to help the court

focuses on advising on public interest legal questions rather than general support
friend of the court
vsamicus curiae
  • Formal
2 7.9

A person or group not in a case who gives information about the law to help the court decide

is the formal Latin name used for that advisory role in courts

Surface Forms

amicus curiae singular
amicus curiae plural

Morphology

amicus + curiae

This is a Latin legal term (literally 'friend of the court') and functions as specialized jargon rather than a productive English composition; one constituent ('curiae') is not given a clear dictionary meaning here. Even if a learner knew the parts as listed, the phrase is technical and language-specific, so a B1 learner who only knows the constituent words would not reliably infer the legal sense.

Etymology

Amicus curiae comes from Latin and literally puts together amicus 'friend' and curiae 'court'. Think of a 'friend' bringing helpful notes to the judges even though they are not part of the case, so amicus curiae means a person or group who gives information or advice to a court to help its decision.