It might sound self-explanatory, but the law is never as simple as it looks. So what does the Court of Appeal do, and how does it work?
The Court of Appeal is the second-highest court in England and Wales, below only the Supreme Court.
Its Lords Justices, as the judges are known, hear appeals in both criminal and civil cases following judgments in the lower court.
However, appealing isn’t a simple matter of taking your case to the Court. First, you need to get permission to appeal, either from the court your case was first heard in or in the Court of Appeal itself.
For permission to be granted, there must be either “a real prospect of success” or “some other compelling reason why the appeal should be heard”.
Not all appeals are made to the Court of Appeal. They are usually made to the next-highest court – so an appeal from a magistrate’s court would go to the Crown Court. The difference is that the Court of Appeal only deals with appeals.
When science writer Simon Singh was sued for libel by the British Chiropractic Association, the case became a rallying cry for libel reform and freedom of speech for scientists.
Singh’s major breakthrough came in the Court of Appeal, when the High Court’s decision about the meaning of the article he had written was overturned.
Read more about the Simon Singh case.
The Court of Appeal was responsible for ruling that the government could not use secret evidence to defend against claims of torture by former detainees at Guantánamo Bay.
Read more about the Guantánamo case.
Current rating:
3 Stars
Raising money for charity is a really good and rewarding way to spend your holidays, but it doesn’t have to involve shaking collecting tins in people’s faces. Read on for some top tips to put the ‘fun’ into fundraising.
If you think the new wave of 3D films, TVs and videogames are exciting, imagine watching a star explode in 3D.
Comments
If an court has refused permission to an appeal on the grounds there was no success
can i appeal of gronds to an compelling reason ,force to sign an agreement.
julie procter · 29-07-10
If the court of appeal is already bound by a decision, a leap frog appeal can be available straight to the supreme court, if it involves a point of law of general public importance.
30-05-10
As a common law country, the courts always play a important role in the legal developments. In the past three year of my law degree, I always find some interesting cases from the Court of Appeal.
28-05-10
Any comments?