Rule 23 Brief of Amicus Curiae.

An amicus curiae brief is a legal document filed by someone who is not part of the case but wants to give the court extra information or a different point of view. This rule explains when and how these briefs can be filed with the Virgin Islands Supreme Court.

Before filing this kind of brief, the person or group must either get written permission from all sides in the case or ask the court directly for permission. When asking the court for permission, they need to explain who they are, why they care about the case, and why their input would help the court. They can attach their actual brief to this request so the court can review both at the same time.

The brief usually needs to be filed on the same schedule as the party it supports. For example, if it supports the person appealing, it should be filed within that person's deadline. The court can allow a later filing if there is a good reason, but it will also set a new deadline for the other side to respond.

Finally, if the outside party wants to speak during oral arguments, the court will only allow this in unusual or special situations. Simply filing a brief does not give someone the right to also speak in court.