What kind of decisions does the appellate court render?
The appellate court can do one of two things with respect to an order on appeal: it can “affirm” the order, meaning that the appellate court agrees with the trial court’s decision and finds no errors or mistakes, or it can “reverse” the order, meaning that the appellate court finds that the trial court was wrong or made some type of mistake in the order on appeal. If the appellate court affirms the trial court’s order it can do so either by a written opinion explaining why it agrees with the trial court’s order or it can do so by what is called a “per curiam affirmance.” A “per curiam affirmance,” (called a “PCA”) means that all three judges on the appellate panel agree with the trial court’s decision and find no need to explain further. Therefore, a “per curiam affirmance” will say nothing more than, “per curiam, affirmed.” If the appellate court reverses the trial court’s order, it is required to explain it’s reasoning. Therefore, any reversal of the trial court requires a written op
