Courts & Types
Appeals Courts
What an appeal is and isn't, and why the deadline to file is so short.
Local rules vary: Appeal deadlines and procedures are set by each state and by federal rules.
What an appeal is
An appeal asks a higher court to review whether the trial court made a legal error. It is not a new trial: usually no new witnesses or evidence, and the appeals court works from the record of what happened below.
The deadline
The notice of appeal deadline is short, often around 30 days from judgment, and courts rarely extend it. Missing it usually ends the right to appeal.
What's involved
- Filing a notice of appeal and paying a fee or requesting a waiver
- Ordering transcripts
- Writing a brief that cites the record and the law
Sources
General information, not legal advice.
appealappellatenotice of appeal