The woman seen by American court official (5)
I believe the answer is:
usher
'court official' is the definition.
(official in a law court)
'the woman seen by american' is the wordplay.
'the woman' becomes 'her' (her refers to a woman).
'seen by' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'american' becomes 'us' (abbreviation for United States).
'her' after 'us' is 'USHER'.
(Other definitions for usher that I've seen before include "Theatre guide" , "whose house collapsed?" , "Helper at wedding" , "Show to seat" , "Official doorkeeper or guide" .)