Amicus brief

From Conservapedia

An amicus brief, or amicus curiae brief, is legal argument filed by a third party as a "friend of the court" to express an opinion about an issue before the tribunal. An amicus brief can either be ignored by the court or sometimes be very influential. It has the advantage of less partisanship and the freedom to embellish arguments before the court in a way that a party may not have the time or flexibility to do so.

Amicus briefs are most often filed before appellate courts, such as the U.S. Supreme Court or Courts of Appeal.

Rule 29 of the Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure govern the filing of amicus briefs before appellate courts, with possible modification by the local rules of each court. Rule 29 itself imposes a deadline for filing an amicus brief "no later than 7 days after the principal brief of the party being supported is filed." Local rules impose stricter rules, however. In the D.C. Circuit, for example, notice of intent to file an amicus brief must be filed soon after the case is docketed on appeal, which is long before the deadline for the principal brief.

The local rules for the Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit are located here.