What Is the Court of Criminal Appeal?
A court of criminal appeal is a court that only considers appeals related to criminal cases from the lower courts. The term is often applied to criminal courts of appeal in Scotland and Ireland, but is also used in some states in the United States, as well as other locations around the globe. The main purpose of a court of criminal appeal is to determine whether the lower court applied the law correctly during a criminal trial. There may be some slight differences regarding procedure, but generally a court of criminal appeal can only act on a case once a side has decided to exercise an appeal. In some countries, such as the United States, the only side that can do this is the defendant. In other countries, either side has the right to pursue an appeal. If a prosecutor believes a trial was tainted in some way that resulted in acquittal in these countries, then he or she has the right to appeal, but only for certain crimes.
