What can a defendant in a federal case do if he or she is unhappy with a trial's outcome?

Answer 1

Regardless of whether a case is federal or not, the trial can always be appealed to a higher court. However the appellate court is not allowed to consider evidence, only if proper procedures had been violated or if constitutional rights were in some way violated. The appellate court can then order a retrial by the original court if they found problems in the first trial that could have influenced its outcome.

Answer 2

The defendant can appeal to a federal court of appeals. That court reviews what happened in the lower court proceedings looking for any errors of law. It is up to the court’s discretion whether to allow a case to go forward. The appeal attorney must submit a brief that argues the trial judge incorrectly applied the law. The appeal is a scholarly proceeding and the best outcome comes with having an attorney who is experienced in federal appeals.
A federal appeals court decision can be appealed to the state’s highest court or the United States Supreme Court. However, higher courts receive many more requests than can be heard. If the higher courts refuse to hear the case the defendant is out of luck.

Answer 3

Ms. Kluss' response is correct. The only additional factor and this is true in any appeal, is that the appellate court does not re-try the case, such as by taking new testimony. The appellate court reviews the record of the trial to determine if the trial judge correctly applied the facts to the law and/or whether it applied the correct law to the facts. The result can be an affirmation of the trial court's ruling or a remand of the case back to the trial court for further proceedings. If the latter, the appellate court will normally specify the scope of the further proceedings.