Amicus curiae briefs refer to the legal contributions made by non-parties to a particular case for the quick and expeditious disposal of the same. The roles of the amicus curiae (also known as friends of the court) in the disposition of cases are multi-pronged, depending on the various jurisdictions. In order to achieve their most preferred policy-justice, courts have always required amicus curiae briefs (McLauchlan, 2005). More often than not, judicial institutions deal with complex issues; some of which are legal while others fall outside the legal parlance. So that the courts make sound decisions with regard to legal and non-legal issues, amicus curiae step in as very pivotal. The briefs always contain information that is relevant to the subject matter. The briefs are therefore dependent on the amicus curiae’s interest or expertise in the matter in issue.

Amicus Curiae in the case of United States v. Stevens 18 U.S.C. § 48
In this case, the issue before the court was whether section 48 of the federal law which banned the sale of depictions of animal cruelty violated the Free Speech Clause that is found in the First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States of America. The defendant in this case was convicted in 2007 for violating the said provision by selling videos depicting animal cruelty. The videos included graphics of dog-fighting and hog-dogging where a bull was shown mutilating the lower jaw of a live pig. The Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF) submitted an amicus curiae brief in this case urging the Supreme Court to uphold the provisions of Section 48 for purposes of protecting animal rights. ALDF, being experts in the animal field filed a brief to assist the Supreme Court to arrive at a sound decision.

The aspect of amicus curiae has greatly evolved since its inception in the Roman law in the 9th Century (Roberts, 2012). The aspect permeated the English law and now is a popular feature in the common law systems. The international law is the latest recipient of the aspect as it assists courts to make decisions in human rights arena. Amicus curiae briefs are very fundamental in the day to day running of modern courts. The aspect should therefore be further developed for the ends of justice to be met.