# Amicus Curiae An amicus curiae is a “friend of the court”: a person invited or permitted to provide legal or technical argument without being a party. The [[USA FREEDOM Act]] created a pool of individuals who may assist the [[Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court|FISC]] in matters presenting novel or significant interpretations of law. ## Notebook evidence PDF page 5 of [[Scanned_20260730-1830]] links USA FREEDOM, special advocates, and secret-court review. The notebook is asking how an institution can introduce contradiction or expertise when the surveillance target is absent. ## Boundary An amicus is not automatically counsel for the target and does not necessarily receive every classified fact. Participation varies by matter. ## Source - [[Scanned_20260730-1830]], PDF page 5.