Yes, it is true that the decisions of trial courts are reviewed by appellate courts. Appellate courts examine the trial court's proceedings to determine if there were any legal errors that could have affected the outcome of the case. However, appellate courts typically do not re-evaluate the facts or evidence presented in the trial; their focus is primarily on the application of the law.
Appellate Courts
Trial courts typically do not have appellate jurisdiction; their primary function is to hear cases for the first time and make determinations of fact and law. Instead, appellate jurisdiction is held by higher courts that review the decisions made by trial courts. Examples of courts with appellate jurisdiction include state appellate courts and federal courts of appeals. In contrast, trial courts, such as district or circuit courts, focus on original jurisdiction.
Trial courts are where cases are initially heard and evidence is presented, while appellate courts review decisions made by trial courts. Appellate courts do not hear new evidence or witnesses, but instead review the legal reasoning and procedures used in the trial court. The differences impact the legal process by providing a system of checks and balances, ensuring that decisions are fair and consistent with the law. Appellate courts can overturn or uphold decisions made by trial courts, leading to potential changes in legal precedent and outcomes of cases.
A review court is one which has appellate jurisdiction rather original jurisdiction over cases. Courts with original jurisdiction hear cases at the trial level only. Courts with appellate jurisdiction cannot hear trials. They only review decisions made by trial courts to ensure that those decisions were correctly rendered.
Whatever appellate court is immediately above the trial court in that particular court system.
In Georgia, the three levels of courts are the trial courts, appellate courts, and the Supreme Court of Georgia. The trial courts include Superior Courts, State Courts, and Municipal Courts, where cases are initially heard. The appellate courts consist of the Georgia Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court, which review decisions made by trial courts. Each level serves a distinct function in the judicial process, ensuring fair legal proceedings and the interpretation of laws.
Each court that publishes decisions (appellate courts and a handful of trial courts) has an official court reporter publication where the decisions can be found. Private companies, such as Lexis Nexis, often buy the rights and reprint the decisions with annotations (comments).
In the state court system, the three levels of courts are typically the trial court, the intermediate appellate court, and the state supreme court. The trial court is where cases are initially heard and decided. The intermediate appellate court reviews decisions from the trial courts, and the state supreme court serves as the highest appellate court, providing final rulings on legal interpretations and significant cases.
The California Trial Court system is divided into two main parts: the Superior Courts and the Appellate Courts. Superior Courts handle the majority of cases, including criminal, civil, family, and probate matters at the trial level. The Appellate Courts, which include the Court of Appeal and the California Supreme Court, review decisions made by the Superior Courts to ensure the law was applied correctly. This structure allows for both trial and appellate processes within the state's judicial system.
The strict term "standard of review" is related to appellate court matters rather than for courts of original jurisdiction like a federal district court or state trial court. Appellate courts exercise different standards of review of trial court decisions depending on whether they are reviewing findings of fact, determinations of law or trial court decisions of procedure.
There are three major differences between trial-level courts and appellate-level courts: witnesses and exhibits, judges, and juries. Trial courts are the courts where cases start. In the trial court, both sides present evidence to show their version of what happened. Most of the evidence presented in the trial court comes from witnesses (people who answer questions relating to the case) and exhibits (items and documents connected to the case, such as pictures, clothes, weapons, papers, etc.). However, in the appellate courts, there are no witnesses, and no evidence is presented. In appellate courts, the lawyers simply argue legal and policy issues before the judge or a group of judges. In the trial courts, the lawyers present evidence and legal arguments to persuade the jury in a jury trial or the judge in a bench trial. The second difference between the two courts is the judges. In trial courts, there is one judge in the courtroom. That judge decides what evidence can and cannot be used and often decides the outcome of the case. In most jurisdictions, appeals are decided by more then one judge. The last major difference between the trial courts and the appellate courts is the role of the jury. A jury is a group of citizens who listen to the facts and make decisions about the case. A jury is sometimes used in trial courts to help decide the case. In a criminal trial, the jury decides whether a person is guilty or not guilty. A criminal trial involves the government (the state of Indiana, for example) bringing charges against someone who committed a crime, such as robbery, murder, or drunk driving. In a civil trial, the jury decides whether a person is liable (legally responsible for damages) or not liable (not responsible). Individuals or companies who cannot settle a dispute file a document called a complaint to start a civil trial. Divorce, car accidents, and traffic violations are some of the most common types of civil cases. There can be a jury in either a civil or criminal trial. However, there is no jury in the appellate courts. Appellate judges determine the outcome of all appeals. A big misunderstanding about the appellate courts is that they simply rehear the case over again, evidence and all. But the truth is that appellate courts do not rehear the facts of the case. Appellate courts focus on questions of law, NOT on questions of facts like the trial courts. The appellate judges want to know whether the law was applied accurately. The appellate court overrules a trial court decision only if a very important legal error was made in the trial court. In some cases, the appellate court judges might believe that the outcome of the trial court should have been different, but if no legal errors were made, they will not overrule the lower court. The appellate judges make their decisions based only on legal arguments of how the law should be applied and interpreted.
Appellate courts primarily review decisions made by lower courts to determine if legal errors were made during the trial process. They do not conduct new trials or hear new evidence; instead, they evaluate the application of the law based on the trial record and the arguments presented by the parties. For instance, if a defendant believes their trial was unfair due to improper jury instructions, they can appeal to an appellate court, which will assess whether those instructions affected the trial's outcome.