Court of Appeals is the title of certain appellate courts in various jurisdictions. An appellate court is a court that hears cases in which a lower court -- either a trial court or a lower-level appellate court — has already made a decision, but in which at least one party to the action wants to challenge this ruling based upon some legal grounds that...

The United States

The thirteen United States Courts of Appeals stand between the United States District Courts (or other comparable federal courts, such as the Court of International Trade) and the United States Supreme Court. The United States Courts of Appeals (or circuit courts) are the mid-level appellate courts of the United States federal court system. ... The United States district courts are the general trial courts of the United States federal court system. ... United States International Court of Trade. ... Seal of the Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States, based in Washington, D.C., is the highest federal court in the United States. ...

Each state has decided upon its own particular appellate structure. A U.S. state is any one of the 50 states (four of which officially favor the term commonwealth) which, together with the District of Columbia, form the United States of America. ...

In the state of New York, for example, the Court of Appeals is the highest court in the state and the court of last resort within the State. Only cases raising questions of federal law can be appealed from there to the United States Supreme Court. Similarly, in the District of Columbia, the Court of Appeals is equivalent to a state supreme court. State nickname: Empire State Other U.S. States Capital Albany Largest city New York Governor George Pataki Official languages None (English is de facto) Area 141,205 km² (27th)  - Land 122,409 km²  - Water 18,795 km² (13. ... ... Judges Chief Judge Annice M. Wagner Associate Judges John A. Terry John M. Steadman Frank E. Schwelb Michael W. Farrell Vanessa Ruiz Inez Smith Reid Stephen H. Glickman Eric T. Washington Senior Judges Theodore R. Newman William C. Pryor John W. Kern, III James A. Belson John M. Ferren Warren... In the United States, the state supreme court (known as the supreme judicial court in some states) is usually the highest court in the state court system. ...

In California, the intermediate appellate court is known as the Court of Appeal (note the lack of an "s"). State nickname: The Golden State Other U.S. States Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger Official languages English Area 410,000 km² (3rd)  - Land 404,298 km²  - Water 20,047 km² (4. ...

In New Mexico, the Court of Appeals is the intermediate appellate court between county jurisdictions and the state's Supreme Court. Most states that have a Court of Appeals (or multiple Courts) give them a similar intermediate role. State nickname: Land of Enchantment Other U.S. States Capital Santa Fe Largest city Albuquerque Governor Bill Richardson Official languages English and Spanish Area 315,194 km² (5th)  - Land 314,590 km²  - Water 607 km² (0. ...

In Nevada (and a few other states), there is no Court of Appeals. Cases are appealed directly from District (county) Courts to the state's Supreme Court. The state Supreme Court in that case must hear all appeals. State nickname: Silver State, Battle Born State (official) Other U.S. States Capital Carson City Largest city Las Vegas Governor Kenny Guinn Official languages None Area 286,367 km² (7th)  - Land 284,396 km²  - Water 1,971 km² (0. ...

The general rule in the American justice system is that the loser deserves one appeal. Therefore, such intermediate courts usually have mandatory jurisdiction and must hear an appeal, while the state supreme court (or the U.S. Supreme Court in the federal system) has discretionary jurisdiction and hears an appeal only if it wants to. There exist some special exceptions to this rule. In some state courts, the state's supreme court is required by law to hear all appeals of a certain nature. These cases usually involve the death penalty or cases involving high-ranking government officials. Discretionary jurisdiction is a legal term used to describe a circumstance where a court has the power to decide whether to hear a particular case brought before it. ...

Elsewhere

Some countries within the Commonwealth of Nations have courts by the name of the Court of Appeal above the High Court and below the court of last resort (which may be the House of Lords, the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, etc.). For a fuller treatment, see Courts of England and Wales. Flag of the Commonwealth of Nations The Commonwealth of Nations is an association of independent sovereign states, most of which are former colonies once governed by the United Kingdom as part of the British Empire. ... Schematic of court system for England and Wales The United Kingdom does not have a single unified judicial system - England and Wales have one system, Scotland another, and Northern Ireland a third. ... The supreme court in some countries, provinces, and states, is the highest court in that jurisdiction and functions as a court of last resort whose rulings cannot be appealed. ... The House of Lords, in addition to having a legislative function, has a judicial function as a court of last resort within the United Kingdom. ... The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council is one of the highest courts in the United Kingdom. ... Schematic of court system for England and Wales The United Kingdom does not have a single unified judicial system - England and Wales have one system, Scotland another, and Northern Ireland a third. ...

In Canada the Court of Appeals is the highest court in each of the country's provincial jurisdictions. The Supreme Court of Canada, the country's court of last resort, is the only court higher than any of the provincial or territorial court of appeals. The Supreme Court Building in Ottawa The Supreme Court of Canada is Canadas highest court and is located in the capital city of Ottawa. ...

In France the Courts of Appeals are one level under the Cour de cassation, which is the court of last resort. There exist administrative Courts of Appeal, under the Conseil d'État, for cases belonging to the administrative order. The Cour de cassation is the main court of last resort in France. ... The supreme court in some countries, provinces, and states, is the highest court in that jurisdiction and functions as a court of last resort whose rulings cannot be appealed. ... In France, the Conseil dÉtat (English: Council of State and sometimes Counsel of State) is an organ of the French national government. ...

In Germany, with civil and criminal cases, the highest court in a hierarchy of appellate courts is the Bundesgerichtshof. The other branches of the German judicial branch for social, labor, and administrative cases each have their own appellate systems. The Bundesgerichtshof is distinct from the Federal Constitutional Court of Germany, which only performs judicial review, although both courts are located in Karlsruhe. The Bundesgerichtshof or BGH (German for federal court) is the highest Germany for civil and criminal lawsuits. ... The Federal Constitutional Court (in German: Bundesverfassungsgericht, BVerfG) is a special court established by the German Constitution, the Grundgesetz (Basic Law). ... Judicial review is the power of a court to review a law or an official act of a government employee or agent; for example, although the basis is different in different countries, as unconstitutional or violating of basic principles of justice. ... Map of Germany showing Karlsruhe Coat of Arms of Karlsruhe Karlsruhe castle at night Karlsruhe (population 282,595 in December 2003) is a city of Germany, in the Baden-Württemberg Bundesland, located near the French-German border. ...

See also: Appeals court, List of legal topics In the court system of a state or of a subordinate regional entity, an appeals court is a court of second instance where a party to a case on which judgment has been entered can ask to have their case reheard if they suspect an error of law, fact, or... This page aims to list terms relating to law, including the titles of all Wikipedia articles on the subject. ...