How to Make Amicus True Friends of the Supreme Court?

Anthony Franze, counsel in the firm’s Appellate and Supreme Court practice, was featured in a recent article in The National Law Journal, “How Do You Make Amicus Briefs a True Friend of the Supreme Court?” The article discusses the increase of amicus briefs filed in the Supreme Court and whether these briefs influence decision-making.

The NLJ turned to Franze for insights given his decade studying the high court’s amicus docket, as reflected in several articles, as well as Franze’s vast experience as a Supreme Court practitioner. Franze provided perspective on the explosion of amicus briefs and views on whether the justices find them useful.

Although Franze says it is impossible to measure whether a given amicus brief influenced any decision-making, he said the justices “continue to cite amicus briefs in over half of their opinions,” and thus “there is some indication that [the court] finds them at least useful.”

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