court of appeals

noun phrase

often capitalized C&A

: a court hearing appeals from the decisions of lower courts

called also court of appeal

Examples of court of appeals in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The federal district court judge hearing the case ordered an injunction to stop the government from doing these things while the case moved forward, and a court of appeals generally backed him up. —Susan Shelley, Orange County Register, 18 June 2024

One nearly illiterate individual started as an informant in his village outside of Mosul and was later able to get a job in an ISIS court of appeals in Mosul. —Vera Mironova, Foreign Affairs, 22 Nov. 2017

The court of appeals found that the order properly protected witnesses and the fair administration of justice. —Barbara McQuade, TIME, 4 June 2024

But the new court of appeals ruling disagreed with Perry's interpretation. —Lucas Aulbach, The Courier-Journal, 15 May 2024

At the same time, the justices retracted their earlier decision to grant Louisiana's petition for review, instead sending the case back to the court of appeals to either draw new congressional lines itself or allow the state legislature to do it. —Nina Totenberg, NPR, 15 May 2024

About a month ago, my lawyers informed me that my eight-year prison sentence was confirmed in the court of appeal and would be implemented on short notice. —Mia Galuppo, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 May 2024

So Biden has appealed to the Third US Circuit court of appeals saying that all the charges should be dismissed. —Taylor Wilson, USA TODAY, 10 May 2024

After he was arrested by Indiana State Police in November, Noel was released from jail a day later on a $75,000 bond set by Judge Larry Medlock, who was appointed by the court of appeals. —Leo Bertucci, The Courier-Journal, 1 Feb. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1768, in the meaning defined above

Legal Definition

court of appeals

often capitalized C&A

: a court hearing appeals from the decisions of lower courts: as

a

: an intermediate court of the U.S. federal judicial system

b

: a state appellate court

called also court of appeal

Note: Not all of the states have intermediate-level courts but of those that do, many are called the Court of Appeals or, in California and Louisiana, the Court of Appeal. In Hawaii, such a court is called the Intermediate Court of Appeals. In some states, appeals are divided between a court of criminal appeals and a court of civil appeals. In the District of Columbia, Maryland, and New York the court of last resort is called the Court of Appeals, and the intermediate court in Maryland is called the Court of Special Appeals. In West Virginia the court of last resort is called the Supreme Court of Appeals. In England the Court of Appeal is a division of the Supreme Court of Judicature.