Definition of appeal court

The concept of a judicial system with multiple levels of courts dates back centuries, but the term "appeal court" is a relatively recent one. In the early stages of the common law system, which developed in England during the Middle Ages, cases were resolved by local courts presided over by judges who held both executive and judicial power. However, as the legal system became more complex and the volume of cases increased, it became necessary to create specialized courts with limited jurisdiction in certain types of legal matters. The first formal appellate court was established in England in the 15th century, known as the Court of Error. Its role was to review decisions made by lower courts for errors in law or fact. This court did not have the power to overturn a decision entirely, but could remand the case for a retrial based on new evidence or a different interpretation of the law. In the United States, the concept of an appeal court was borrowed from the English legal system when the fledgling nation adopted a common-law tradition. The first federal appellate court, the US Circuit Courts, was created in 1866 as a result of the passage of the Judiciary Act. These courts initially had both appellate and trial court jurisdiction, but eventually, they became purely appellate in nature. Later, in 1891, Congress established the US Court of Appeals as a more specialized appellate court primarily responsible for reviewing decisions from federal district courts. The purpose of an appeal court is to provide a level of review for decisions made by lower courts. Typically, an appeal court does not retry a case or consider new evidence, but rather evaluates the legal and factual bases of the lower court's decision. Appeal courts serve an important role in maintaining consistency in legal interpretation across different jurisdictions and ensuring legal faireness in cases where errors or misapplication of the law may have occurred. Today, virtually every legal system includes multi-tiered courts with explicit appellate courts to help foster these values.