People sometimes view an appeal as a way to overturn a conviction. For instance, someone may have been indicted on federal fraud charges or drug charges. They were then convicted in court and sentenced to jail. They want to appeal that conviction because they feel that they are innocent of the charges.
To show their innocence, this person may want to bring new evidence to court or otherwise demonstrate that they did not commit the crime. But appeals are not centered around new evidence. Instead, there are four basic reasons why these appeals happen.
Mistakes made by the court
First of all, perhaps the person believes the initial court made an error. Maybe the judge interpreted the law incorrectly or other mistakes were made that invalidate the conviction.
The weight of evidence
The evidence that has already been presented in the court can still be examined in the appeal, even though new evidence won’t be added. The person may argue that all of that evidence taken together doesn’t actually support the verdict that they got in court.
It was an errant ruling
In some instances, someone may claim that the court made an errant ruling that would not be replicated in a different court. They believe that this means the conviction was unfair.
Ineffective assistance
Under the Sixth Amendment, those facing criminal charges have a right to legal counsel. Some appeals happen when people claim that they were not given the effective counsel that they deserved. Maybe they believe that their own legal team made a mistake leading to a conviction.
This helps to show why appeals take place and what types of details the court will focus on during the proceedings. Those who are considering an appeal need to know exactly what steps to take and what requirements there are to seek the best possible outcome.