AMICUS BRIEFS

RFI works to advance religious freedom in culture, politics, and law. Filing friend-of-the-court, or amicus curiae, briefs is an important facet of that work. An amicus curiae brief is filed by a person or entity in a court case who is not a party to the case but who has an interest in the outcome.

The purpose of such a brief is to assist the court in making a just and wise decision. Amicus briefs encourage courts to see the case before them in a broader context. They differ from briefs filed by parties to the case in that they need not adhere strictly to legal arguments germane to the case, but may discuss broader policy concerns.

Although litigation is not RFI’s primary arena of work, RFI often files or joins amicus briefs in order to educate the courts about the broader context and implications for religious freedom of the cases before them.