Distinguish between trial courts and appellate courts.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Answers will vary. Courts having original jurisdiction are courts of the first instance, or trial courts. Almost every case begins in a trial court. It is in this court that a trial (or a guilty plea) takes place, and the judge imposes a sentence if the defendant is found guilty. Trial courts are primarily concerned with questions of fact. They are designed to determine exactly what events occurred that are relevant to questions of the defendant's guilt or innocence.Courts having appellate jurisdiction act as reviewing courts, or appellate courts. Cases can be brought before appellate courts only on appeal by one of the parties in the trial court. An appellate court does not use juries or witnesses to reach its decision. Instead, its judges make a decision on whether the lower court's ruling should be affirmed or reversed. Appellate judges present written explanations for their decisions, and these opinions of the court are the basis for a great deal of the precedent in the criminal justice system. Appellate courts do not determine the defendant's guilt or innocence-they only make judgments on questions of procedure. In other words, they are concerned with questions of law and normally accept the facts as established by the trial court. Only rarely will an appeals court question a jury's decision. Instead, the appellate judges will review how the facts and evidence were provided to the jury and rule on whether errors were made in the process.