Which court has jurisdiction to review cases originally tried in lower courts?

• A. Trial Court
• B. Indeterminate Sentencing
• C. Appellate Court
• D. Expungement

Answer: (C)

Appellate review is the authority of a higher court to examine the record of a case from a lower court to determine if the law was applied correctly. After a case is tried in the lower court, if a party believes there were legal errors or improper procedures, they appeal so a higher court can review those decisions. The court that has this reviewing power is the appellate court. It focuses on legal questions and the proper application of statutes and rules, rather than re-trying the facts or hearing new evidence.

A trial court handles the original presentation of evidence and fact-finding; it does not review another court’s decision. Indeterminate sentencing relates to a sentencing framework, not a court. Expungement concerns removing records, not a court’s reviewing role. Hence, the appellate court is the correct choice.