U.S. Courts Considering Changes to Amicus Brief Funding Rules

The federal judiciary’s policy making arm is considering tightening financial disclosures rules for amicus or “friend of the court” briefs as lawmakers press for changes.

The Judicial Conference formed a subcommittee to consider the issues, Judge John D. Bates said in a letter to Rep. Hank Johnson (D-Ga.) and Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), who chair the House and Senate Judiciary subcommittees overseeing the courts.

The March 1 letter was a response to an inquiry from the lawmakers and became public Monday. Johnson and Whitehouse initially wrote to Bates, who is chair of the Judicial Conference’s Committee on Rules of Practice ...