Court of Appeals

An appellate court in New York City is the court of law which hears appeals from the trial court or other lower courts. The trial court is the court where your initial criminal trial will be held. It reviews evidence and testimonies and then reaches a verdict. If you have been charged with a New York (NY) felony, then you most likely will have your trial in the New York City Supreme Court. Following your New York (NY) criminal trial, you will have the option of appealing the verdict. If you want to appeal, you should consult your New York (NY) criminal defense lawyer first. Simply making a motion to appeal does not ensure that you will get a new trial. The appellate court will only hear appeals if you can provide an extremely good reason for re‑examining the evidence and testimonies.

If the appellate courts decide to look over the case, all hearings will be held in the Court of Appeals. This is the highest appellate court in ny. Many people are confused because in most states the Supreme Court is the highest court. But in ny, the Supreme Court handles felony cases and the Court of Appeals is the highest court. This is not to be confused with the United States Supreme Court, which is the highest court in all of the U.S. Decisions made by the United States Supreme Court can overrule the New York (NY) Court of Appeals, but other than that, it has the final say in every legal matter in ny.