An appeal is a legal process where a party asks a higher court to review the decision of a lower court. Appeals are used to challenge the outcome of a case when one party believes that a legal error affected the decision. The appellate court reviews the record of the lower court’s proceedings to determine if there were any significant mistakes in applying the law.
Legal Context
In law, an appeal is not a new trial but a review of the previous trial’s procedures and decisions. The appellate court considers whether the law was correctly interpreted and applied by the trial court. If the appellate court finds that an error was made that could have impacted the outcome, it may reverse or modify the decision, or send the case back to the lower court for further proceedings.
Example
Consider a criminal case where a defendant is convicted of a crime. If the defendant believes the judge made an error in admitting certain evidence, they might file an appeal. The appellate court would then review the trial record to determine whether the admission of that evidence was legally appropriate. If the court finds an error that affected the trial’s outcome, it might overturn the conviction or order a new trial.
