The Law Dictionary for Everyone
An appeal is a request to a higher court to review a decision made by a lower court. The higher court can review the entire case, certain aspects of the case, or the sentence imposed by the lower court. The appellant, who may be the plaintiff or the defendant in the lower court case, must show the higher court that […]
Read moreIn courts where more than one judge, or “justice,” hears cases, such as a state or the federal Supreme Court, or some appellate courts, a majority agreement is required to make a ruling one way or another. In the event some of the judges agree with the decision of the majority, though for different reasons, those judges may write a […]
Read moreA Writ of Certiorari orders a lower court to forward all documents in a case it has heard to the higher court for review. While this is most commonly used by the U.S. Supreme Court, other courts, such as the U.S. Court of Appeals, state supreme courts, and state courts of appeal, may issue such a writ. The U.S. Supreme […]
Read moreIn most legal jurisdictions, an “appellee” is a legal party who has won at trial, but against whom the loser (the “appellant”) of the trial has filed an appeal with a higher court. Once an appeal has been filed, the appellee must file a response to the appellant’s legal brief. In some jurisdictions, the appellee is referred to as the […]
Read moreIn the United States, the courts have the ability to scrutinize statutes, administrative regulations, and judicial decisions to determine whether they violate provisions of existing laws, or whether they violate the individual State or United States Constitution. A court having judicial review power, such as the United States Supreme Court, may choose to quash or invalidate statutes, laws, and decisions […]
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