Not all state court systems have appellate courts
true or false
The correct answer and explanation is:
Correct Answer: False
Explanation (300 words):
The statement “Not all state court systems have appellate courts” is false because every U.S. state has at least one appellate court in its judicial system. These appellate courts are a fundamental part of the judicial structure, ensuring that trial court decisions can be reviewed for errors in the application of law or legal procedures.
In general, state court systems are structured in three levels:
- Trial Courts – where cases begin and facts are established.
- Appellate Courts (Intermediate) – where decisions from trial courts can be appealed.
- State Supreme Court – the highest court in the state, which reviews decisions from lower appellate courts or directly from trial courts in some instances.
While all states have a highest appellate court (usually called the State Supreme Court), not all states have an intermediate appellate court. For example, smaller states with lighter caseloads, such as Delaware or South Dakota, may have only a trial court level and a supreme court, skipping an intermediate level. In these cases, appeals go directly to the state’s highest court. However, this does not mean they lack an appellate court altogether; it means they do not have a second-tier appellate court, but still have a supreme court that functions as an appellate court.
The purpose of appellate courts is to ensure fairness, uniformity in the application of law, and the correction of legal mistakes. They typically do not retry cases or hear new evidence but review records from lower courts.
So, while not all states have intermediate appellate courts, all state court systems have at least one appellate court, making the statement false.