Glossary
Appellant
The party who appeals a lower court's decision to a higher court. The appellant is asking the appellate court to review what the trial court did and either reverse it, change it, or send it back for more work.
If you lose at the trial court and want a higher court to review the decision, you become the appellant when you file your appeal. Your job is to identify specific legal errors the trial court made: not just argue that the result was unfair.
Appellate courts don't re-try the case. They don't hear from witnesses or look at new evidence. They only review what already happened in the trial court, based on the written record and the lawyers' written arguments (briefs).