friend in court

Idioms  

1. Also, friends in high places. A person or persons who can help by virtue of their important position. For example, With a friend in court, he has a good chance of getting the contract, or Jim thinks he can get out of paying the fine; he has friends in high places. This expression alludes to the power of a person at the royal court. With the decline of monarchies, high places came into more common use. [c. 1400]

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Example Sentences

McCorkle shot and killed 26-year-old Richard Conn on July 5, 2014, after Conn identified McCorkle’s friend in court.

From Washington Times

Thereupon Chunder, perceiving that he had lost his friend in court, magnanimously said: "I cannot fight an antagonist who is unprovided with a seconder, and will wait until Mr Bodgers is recuperated."

From Project Gutenberg

The memorandum says that Inerfeld recently claimed to be "facing off a friend in court right now, and I'm going to crush him, move into his house, drive his car, and f*** his wife, his lawyers' too."

From Reuters

For one thing, he won for his cause a powerful friend in court: the Justice Department.

From Time Magazine Archive

The unions may have a friend in court.

From Time Magazine Archive