court of appeal(s)

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In a legal context, the Court of Appeal(s) has multiple meanings:
First, the Court of Appeal(s) could be an intermediate appellate court. In this instance, it would be any state or federal court that hears appeals from rulings and judgments of lower trial and appeals courts. Specifically, a “court of appeal(s)” is also a “court of record” within statute. This means that the court has “court of record” power to penalize lawyers for any duty violation, willful neglect, or disobedience of any lawful court order. An attorney’s refusal or neglect to obey a court order from a court of appeal(s) is considered an act of contempt.
Another meaning of the Court of Appeals is as the highest court in some states. (Like how the U.S. Supreme Court is the “highest court of the land” for the U.S.). Simply put, it would be equivalent to the State Supreme Court. In New York, Maryland, and Virginia, the highest state court in those states is called the Court of Appeals.

[Last updated in August of 2022 by the Wex Definitions Team