Email *
First Name *
Last Name
Please complete the Captcha above
Share this page
Follow Ballotpedia
The United States Federal Court System defines "appellate courts" as follows:
States generally use a similar definition. For instance, the Alaska Court System states that appellate courts are "the court that considers the appeal of a lower court decision. An appellate court can review the decision of the lower court."[3]
The Iowa Judicial Branch states that an appellate court is a "court having authority to hear an appeal."[4]
The Supreme Court of Texas states: "Appellate court means the courts of appeals, the Court of Criminal Appeals, and the Supreme Court."[5]
The term, therefore, refers to both an intermediate court of appeals and a court of last resort (typically called a supreme court).
The top appellate court in the United States Federal Court System is the Supreme Court of the United States.
The Supreme Court holds both original and appellate jurisdiction, with its appellate jurisdiction accounting for most of the Court's caseload. The Court's appellate jurisdiction encompasses all cases within the scope of Article III, but is subject to limitation by Acts of Congress under the Exceptions Clause in Article III and by the discretion of the Court.[6]
The power of the Supreme Court to consider appeals from state courts, rather than just federal courts, was created by the Judiciary Act of 1789 and upheld early in the Court's history by its rulings in Martin v. Hunter's Lessee (1816) and Cohens v. Virginia (1821).
The 94 U.S. judicial districts are organized into 12 regional circuits, each of which has a court of appeals that hears appeals from the district courts located within its circuit, as well as appeals from decisions of federal administrative agencies.[7]
Each of the United States and the District of Columbia have at least one supreme court, or court of last resort. Oklahoma and Texas both have two courts of last resort, one for civil appeals and one for criminal appeals.
There are 43 state appellate courts in 40 states.
These eight states do not have dedicated intermediate appellate courts:
Appellate courts
Terms and definitions
Ballot • Democracy • Oregon tax revolt • Political action committee • Legislature • Taxpayer Bill of Rights • Big government • Supermajority • Eminent domain • Recall (political) • Chief petitioner • Eligible voter • Fraudulent signature • Signature certification • Petition drive • Secretary of State (state executive office) • Lieutenant Governor (state executive office) • Governor (state executive office) • Attorney General (state executive office) • Lower court • Revisor of Statutes • Elector • Bond issue • Statute • TIF district • Citizen • Tax revolt • Starve-the-beast • Electoral College • Vote counting system • 501(c)(3) • 501(c)(4) • Women's suffrage • Legislative Counsel (California) • Paid blocker • Sponsorship signature • Bicameral legislature • Electorate • State legislature • Washington, D.C. Board of Elections and Ethics • Associate Justice • Taxpayer-funded lobbying • Unicameralism • Bicameralism • Signature challenge • Sin tax • Township • Regulatory takings • Codes and Canons of Judicial Conduct • Continuing legal education • National initiative • Remonstrance-petition process • School district bond issue • Defense of Marriage Amendments • Civil law (common law) • Prohibition (writ) • Prerogative writ • Quo warranto • Federal Rules of Civil Procedure • Civil procedure • Arbitration • Evidence (law) • Procedural law • Rules of evidence • Trier of fact • Severance tax • Key open government terms • Circulator affidavit • Ethics • Fact blocking • Outsourced public information • Signature recovery lawsuit • Disenfranchisement • Voter suppression • Voter registration drive • Phone jamming • Jim Crow laws • Poll tax • Chief Justice • Precinct • Protest vote • Platform • Constituency • Intimidation of voters • Shy Elephant Factor • County seat • County council • County commission • County • County executive • Commonwealth • Mayor • City manager • Constitutional officers • Metagovernment • Union rights • Step movement • Seniority • Teacher merit pay • Divisions • Government • Judiciary • Open government • Election • United States Senate • United States Congress • United States House of Representatives • Step compaction • Step freeze • Federal judges on senior status • Supernumerary • Local government • Difficult • Skill-based pay • State Senate President Pro Tempore • State Senate Majority Leader • State Senate Minority Leader • Approved • Defeated • Rainy day fund • Audit Reports • Disclosure • Missouri Accountability Portal • Municipal bond issue • Read law • Signer intent • Fund balance • Conservatism • Random sampling • Upper house • Ad valorem tax • Lower house • Living Constitution • 501(c)(2) • Recess appointment • IRS Form 990 • 501(c) • State legislator • General obligation bond • Constitutional article • School board • Colorado tax collectors • Fact finding • Florida school board • Florida sheriff • Maintenance of membership • Emergency clause • Chief Judge, U.S. Bankruptcy Court • Mill • Louisiana local officials • Financial year • Quarter • Colorado public trustees • Colorado directors of human services • Colorado public health directors • Colorado county attorneys • Colorado grants administrators • State Speaker of the House • Ballot-box budgeting • Arkansas local officials • Minnesota Board of Teaching • North Dakota Education Standards and Practices Board • Clarity and factual hearings for Michigan recalls • President of the Senate • State Senate Majority Whip • Background checks • Local taxes • State Senate Majority Caucus Leader • State Senate Minority Caucus Leader • Question Time • Elected officials • Academic performance • Tied • Glossary of state budget terms • Membership dues deduction • Equalized mills • Earmarks • IRS code, section 501 • Public school district (United States) • City • Agriculture Commissioner (state executive office) • Treasurer (state executive office) • Labor Commissioner (state executive office) • Public Service Commissioner (state executive office) • Superintendent of Schools (state executive office) • Natural Resources Commissioner (state executive office) • Controller (state executive office) • Auditor (state executive office) • Insurance Commissioner (state executive office) • State executive offices • Circle Peacemaking • New Seat • Restitution • Proactive disclosure • Government transparency • Board of supervisors • Index of Terms • Executive branch • Too close to call • Comprehensive Annual Financial Report • Advanced to Runoff • Local government budgets • Resign-to-run law • Sovereign immunity • Compensation • Super PAC • President of the United States • Constitution (document) • Nonprofit organization • Rate of return • Cost of living adjustment • Pension system • Open Meeting Law • Public records • Home rule • School district websites • Contracts • Taxpayer-funded lobbying associations • Taxpayer-funded lobbying disclosure • Texas sheriff • Colorado clerks of court and recorders • Colorado sheriffs • Lobbying • Administrative officials • Taxes • Usability • Mayor-council government • Council-manager government • Audits • Checkbook register online • Appointment confirmation process • PACs and Super PACs • Validity rate • Pension fund • Employee and employer contributions • Pension Terms and Definitions • Unfunded liabilities • Blue slip (federal judicial nominations) • Scheduled election • Unscheduled election • Energy terms and definitions • Glossary of education terms • Common Core State Standards Initiative • Impeachment of federal officials • Bipartisan • Education terms and definitions • Preliminary and certified election results • Glossary of energy terms • 527 group • Race and Ethnicity on the United States Census • Genuine Progress Indicator • Appellate jurisdiction • Common law • Glossary of pension terms • Judicial review • P5+1 and E3+3 • Double dipping • Trade promotion authority (TPA) • Trade adjustment assistance (TAA) • Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) • Currency manipulation • Winner-take-all • Bundling • Original thirteen states • Campaign communications • Political strategist • Campaign manager • Political director • General jurisdiction • Grand jury • Resolution declaring the office of speaker vacant • Right-to-work laws • Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) • Deferred Action for Parents of U.S. Citizens and Lawful Permanent Residents (DAPA) • Deferred action • Every Student Succeeds Act • Hybrid PAC • Stabilizer • Switcher • Supreme Court term • Rules of the Supreme Court of the United States • Supreme Court Rule 1 • Supreme Court Rule 2 • Supreme Court Rule 3 • Supreme Court Rule 4 • Supreme Court Rule 5 • Supreme Court Rule 6 • Supreme Court Rule 7 • Supreme Court Rule 8 • Supreme Court Rule 9 • Supreme Court Rule 10 • Supreme Court Rule 11 • Supreme Court Rule 12 • Supreme Court Rule 13 • Supreme Court Rule 14 • Supreme Court Rule 15 • Supreme Court Rule 16 • Supreme Court Rule 17 • Supreme Court Rule 18 • Supreme Court Rule 19 • Supreme Court Rule 20 • Supreme Court Rule 21 • Supreme Court Rule 22 • Supreme Court Rule 23 • Supreme Court Rule 24 • Supreme Court Rule 25 • Supreme Court Rule 26 • Supreme Court Rule 27 • Supreme Court Rule 28 • Supreme Court Rule 29 • Supreme Court Rule 30 • Supreme Court Rule 31 • Supreme Court Rule 32 • Supreme Court Rule 34 • Supreme Court Rule 35 • Supreme Court Rule 36 • Supreme Court Rule 37 • Supreme Court Rule 38 • Supreme Court Rule 39 • Supreme Court Rule 40 • Supreme Court Rule 41 • Supreme Court Rule 42 • Supreme Court Rule 43 • Supreme Court Rule 44 • Supreme Court Rule 45 • Supreme Court Rule 46 • Supreme Court Rule 47 • Supreme Court Rule 48 • Supreme Court Rule 33 • Special districts • District attorney • County assessor • Borough president • County sheriff • County clerk • County treasurer • Public administrator • County auditor • District clerk • Constable • Justice of the peace • Glossary of finance policy terms • Cloture • Sharing economy • Ridesharing • Homesharing • Interstate compact • Midterm elections • California Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017 • Campaign finance methodology • Evidence-based medicine • Glossary of recall terms • Illegal alien • Battlegrounds • How we decide when to update vote totals on and after election night • Amicus brief • Senate Parliamentarian • Election integrity • Acting officeholder • Dave Beaudoin/Sandbox Impeachment of Ken Paxton • Impeachment of Ken Paxton, 2023 • Slate of candidates •
Ballotpedia features 505,786 encyclopedic articles written and curated by our professional staff of editors, writers, and researchers. Click here to contact our editorial staff or report an error. For media inquiries, contact us here. Please donate here to support our continued expansion.
