What do appellate courts primarily do?

What do appellate courts primarily do?

• A. They hear new evidence and retry cases
• B. They review the actions of the trial courts to determine questions of law
• C. They issue warrants in criminal cases
• D. They preside over jury selection in trials

Answer: (B)

Appellate courts primarily review the trial court’s decisions to make sure the law was applied correctly. They look at the trial record and the legal arguments to evaluate questions of law—like how statutes were interpreted or whether constitutional rights were properly protected. They don’t re‑try cases or hear new evidence; instead, they decide if any legal errors occurred that could have changed the outcome and, if so, they may uphold, reverse, or send the case back for further proceedings. Warrant issuance, jury selection, and new evidence handling are actions more appropriate for trial courts, not appellate courts.

Appellate courts primarily review the trial court’s decisions to make sure the law was applied correctly. They look at the trial record and the legal arguments to evaluate questions of law—like how statutes were interpreted or whether constitutional rights were properly protected. They don’t re‑try cases or hear new evidence; instead, they decide if any legal errors occurred that could have changed the outcome and, if so, they may uphold, reverse, or send the case back for further proceedings. Warrant issuance, jury selection, and new evidence handling are actions more appropriate for trial courts, not appellate courts.