Page "Appellate court" Paragraph 5

In most U. S. states, and in U. S. federal courts, parties before the court are allowed one appeal as of right.

This means that a party who is unsatisfied with the outcome of a trial may bring an appeal to contest that outcome.

However, appeals may be costly, and the appellate court must find an error on the part of the court below that justifies upsetting the verdict.

Therefore, only a small proportion of trial court decisions result in appeals.

Some appellate courts, particularly supreme courts, have the power of discretionary review, meaning that they can decide whether they will hear an appeal brought in a particular case.