Appellate Courts' primary function is to determine which?

Appellate Courts' primary function is to determine which?

• A. Questions of fact
• B. Questions of law
• C. Both questions of law and fact
• D. Budget policy evaluation

Answer: (B)

Appellate courts primarily determine questions of law. When a case goes up on appeal, the main task is to decide whether the trial court correctly interpreted and applied the law to the facts proven at trial. Questions about the meaning of statutes, constitutional rights, and legal standards fall into this category, and the appellate court reviews the lower court’s ruling based on that legal analysis. Factual findings—what happened, who did what, and what the witnesses said—are generally left to the trial record and reviewed only for errors in how they were applied to the law. Budget policy evaluation is not part of appellate review.

Appellate courts primarily determine questions of law. When a case goes up on appeal, the main task is to decide whether the trial court correctly interpreted and applied the law to the facts proven at trial. Questions about the meaning of statutes, constitutional rights, and legal standards fall into this category, and the appellate court reviews the lower court’s ruling based on that legal analysis. Factual findings—what happened, who did what, and what the witnesses said—are generally left to the trial record and reviewed only for errors in how they were applied to the law. Budget policy evaluation is not part of appellate review.