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Difference Between The Appellate Process And Trial Process

Decent Essays

1. The appellate process and appeals differs from the trial process and trials in the following ways:
• Trial court is the first court where case is tried. (pg. 353-359)
• Appellate court is an appeals court and reviews the verdict of the trial court.
• Evidence and witnesses are presented before trial court while appellate court reviews the decision made by trial court and checks to see that there is a point of fact or point of law in the appeal.
• In trail court, there is only one judge in the courtroom. In the appellate court, there are usually five groups of three judges to decide the case.
• Finding facts and evidence is the task of trial court while appellate court decides the case on already collected evidences and witnesses.
• Appellate court can accept, amend, or reject the decision of trial court. (pgs. 437-441)
2. There are three types of errors, the plain error, the harmless error, and the reversible error. The plain error is the most serious and rarest, it is a substantial error that results in an unfair trial and jeopardizes the integrity of the judicial system. A reversible error is an error that was found to have happened at the trial level by the judge, the jury or an attorney, the decision of the court is negated and sent back to the trial court for a new trial. A harmless error is an error that is not serious enough to change the outcome of the trial and therefore the lower ruling stands. (pg. 444) 3. Mandatory appellate review is for all cases that

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