What is the role of appellate courts?

• A. To draft new statutes.
• B. To hear and review appeals from cases that have already been heard in lower courts.
• C. To conduct trials of new evidence.
• D. To enforce administrative regulations.

Answer: (B)

Appellate courts exist to review decisions already made by lower courts, ensuring the law was applied correctly and procedures were followed. They don’t conduct new trials or accept new evidence in most cases; their job is to examine the trial record, decide whether legal errors or due process problems occurred, and determine if those errors could have changed the outcome.

When they review, they typically defer to the trial court on factual findings, since those are based on witness credibility and the trial record, and they reexamine questions of law with fresh eyes. Depending on what they find, they can affirm the lower court’s decision, reverse it, or remand the case for a new trial or other corrective steps. This role also covers reviewing administrative agency decisions in many settings, providing a check on executive decisions that affect rights and penalties.

Note what they do not do: they do not draft statutes—that’s the legislature—and they do not enforce administrative regulations—that role belongs to agencies and, at times, trial courts enforcing those rules.