What does the legal pharse mean friend of the court?

Answer 1

"amicus curiae" is a term from New Latin, meaning "friend of the court,"* and usually refers to an attorney not directly involved in the case either personally or professionally, and supposedly neither for the plaintiff nor for the defendant. However, this attorney usually represents someone or some group with an interest in the outcome, as when both pro choice and pro life groups hire attorneys to file briefs with the judge expounding on their point of view in a case of an individual suing a clinic, an insurance company, or a governmental agency regarding a particular instance involving abortion .

The plural term is "amici curiae,"* when several attorneys enter the case in such a manner. They are often invited by the court, or apply to the court (the judge trying the case, really) for permission to do so.

*Since "curiae" is itself the plural of "curia," Latin for "court," these phrases literally mean friend or friends of the courts; while "friend of the court" would literally be translated as "amicus curia," but virtually no judge or attorney cares enough about Latin grammar anymore to bother with this fine distinction.

Answer 2

A friend of the court (amicus curiae) is a person (or organization) who is not one of the parties to a lawsuit, but who has knowledge about the subject matter of the lawsuit, usually a lawsuit of importance to a large number of people.. Courts may, if asked, allow an amicus curiae to file a legal brief in support of one of the parties to the lawsuit.