An appeal is when you ask a higher court to review or look at, an order, or decision, made by the court you went to first. You ask for a review if you think the first court made a mistake. Mistakes can be made about:
- How facts were used in a case. For example, the court did not understand the facts or considered some facts to be really important when they were not.
- The law. For example, the court did not understand the law or used the law in the wrong way.
The person who asks for the appeal is called the appellant (a-PELL-ant). The person who is on the other side of the appeal is called the respondent (re-SPON-dent).
Last Reviewed: June 8, 2011