What does appellate jurisdiction mean?

What does appellate jurisdiction mean?

• A. Original trial in higher court
• B. Reviewing lower court decisions
• C. Enforcing judgments
• D. Hearing only criminal cases

Answer: (B)

Appellate jurisdiction is the power of a higher court to review the decisions of a lower court. The focus is on whether the law was applied correctly and whether there were legal errors, not on conducting a new trial or re‑examining the facts. In appellate review, the court examines the trial record and generally does not accept new evidence, deciding whether to affirm, reverse, or remand the case. This makes reviewing lower court decisions the defining function of appellate jurisdiction. The other ideas describe different roles—starting a fresh trial in a higher court is original jurisdiction, enforcing judgments concerns execution of a decision, and appellate courts typically handle both civil and criminal appeals, not just criminal cases.

Appellate jurisdiction is the power of a higher court to review the decisions of a lower court. The focus is on whether the law was applied correctly and whether there were legal errors, not on conducting a new trial or re‑examining the facts. In appellate review, the court examines the trial record and generally does not accept new evidence, deciding whether to affirm, reverse, or remand the case. This makes reviewing lower court decisions the defining function of appellate jurisdiction. The other ideas describe different roles—starting a fresh trial in a higher court is original jurisdiction, enforcing judgments concerns execution of a decision, and appellate courts typically handle both civil and criminal appeals, not just criminal cases.