friend of the court

a•mi•cus cu•ri•ae

(əˈmaɪ kəs ˈkyʊər iˌi, əˈmi kəsˈkyʊər iˌaɪ)

n., pl. a•mi•ci cu•ri•ae (əˈmaɪ kaɪ ˈkyʊər iˌi, əˈmi ki ˈkyʊər iˌaɪ) a person, not a party to the litigation, who advises the court on some matter before it. [1605–15; < New Latin: friend of the court]

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

friend of the court - an adviser to the court on some matter of law who is not a party to the case; usually someone who wants to influence the outcome of a lawsuit involving matters of wide public interestamicus curiaelaw, jurisprudence - the collection of rules imposed by authority; "civilization presupposes respect for the law"; "the great problem for jurisprudence to allow freedom while enforcing order"adviser, advisor, consultant - an expert who gives advice; "an adviser helped students select their courses"; "the United States sent military advisors to Guatemala"