Federal Judicial Panel Scraps Amicus Brief Disclosure Rule - Articles

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Federal Judicial Panel Scraps Amicus Brief Disclosure Rule

Posted by: Stacey Shrader Joslin on Apr 17, 2025

A U.S. judicial panel has voted to abandon a core part of a proposed rule aimed at increasing disclosure of who funds friend-of-the-court briefs by outside groups, Reuters reports. The proposal would have required non-profits, charities or trade associations that file amicus briefs to disclose when a party in a case contributed 25% or more of the organization's annual revenue. The rule had drawn criticism from associations, some judges and the U.S. Department of Justice. However, the panel did approve a proposal requiring an amicus brief filer to name any donor who earmarked money for preparation of the brief if that person or entity had been a member of the organization for less than 12 months. That proposed rule now goes to the Judicial Conference's Committee on Rules of Practice and Procedure for its consideration.