Appeals and post-conviction relief are the ways a person can ask a higher court to review a verdict or sentence, or to reopen a case after it ends. Appeals look for legal mistakes made during the case, and other routes address issues such as evidence found later or constitutional violations. State and federal appeals courts handle them.
People usually ask how an appeal differs from a trial, what words like affirm, reverse, and remand mean, what counts as a harmless mistake, how a case can move between state and federal courts, and how a conviction can be challenged after the appeals end.
An independent team explaining how government works
A federal judge in Manhattan heard arguments about something that almost never happens in American criminal law: whether to move a state conviction to federal court…
On May 30, 2024, a New York jury found Donald Trump guilty on all 34 counts in his hush-money case. On July 1, 2024, the Supreme…
Whether a New York state court conviction of a former president should be thrown out is a question American courts have almost never confronted. The outcome…
A criminal record often carries consequences that extend far beyond the courtroom or completion of a sentence. These "collateral consequences" create significant barriers to employment, housing,…
Harmless and reversible errors shape court appeals. The rules turn on harm, trial objections, constitutional rights and whether the evidence proves the charge.
Most Americans think the Supreme Court is where important legal decisions get made. The reality is far different and more interesting. Between your local…
Appellate decisions can uphold a judgment, overturn it or send a case back. The instructions explain whether more proceedings, retrial or sentencing follow.
If you lose in court, you have two ways to seek review from a higher court: appeal or petition for certiorari. Both try to…
