Amicus Curiae: Friend of the Court

Amicus Curiae, legal Latin for “friend of the court.” Linda MacFarlane, as an official reporter, was a friend of the court. Not a party to the cases that crawled through the courtrooms where she spent her career, but a technician who took a verbatim record and provided transcripts to the higher courts of appeal.


Like most shorthand reporters, Linda is a keen observer. Amicus Curiae is a compilation of stories from her experiences while working in the Federal system in both San Francisco and Oakland, and the Municipal and Superior Courts of Contra Costa County. She thought court would be permanently adjourned when she retired; however, some of the cases continued to whisper coldly in her mind.


Amicus Curiae offers an insider’s view of courtroom nuances and stark realities. It is Linda’s effort to make peace with the voices of her career. You may smile at some of these stories. You may resonate with others. A few will, doubtless, leave you horrified by the depths of depravity to which mankind can plummet.