Definition
The fancy adjective describing courts that exist solely to tell lower courts whether they screwed up or not. Appellate courts don't retry cases or hear new evidence—they just review what happened below and decide if the law was applied correctly. It's basically the legal system's quality control department.
Example Usage
After losing at trial, her lawyer immediately began preparing the appellate brief to challenge the judge's evidentiary rulings.
Source: Legal court system terminology
Related Terms
Translate This Term
See “appellate” in Corporate Speak, Gen-Z Slang, Pirate Speak, and more.
Try the Translator