What even is the Court of Appeals?

If you are unhappy with the outcome of your case, you can ask the Court of Appeals to take a second look. The North Carolina Court of Appeals reviews thousands of these cases each year, including criminal, civil, and family law cases.

You might not hear about them all, but these cases impact all of us. While a trial judge’s decision usually only affects the parties in the case, a Court of Appeals decision has precedential value, meaning every trial court in the state has to follow that decision. These cases can involve our most fundamental rights: the right to an abortion, to a fair trial, to free speech, to vote (and to have your vote count). How the court decides these cases impacts everyone in North Carolina. And because of a recent law change, the Court of Appeals now has the final say in nearly 95% of cases–including many major constitutional questions. Selecting qualified appellate judges who share our values could not be more important.

Appellate judges appear in court for oral argument, but most of their job is behind the scenes–reading the law and writing detailed opinions. They sit in panels of three, meaning resolving a case requires at least two judges to agree.

A great Court of Appeals judge must be a deep thinker and clear writer who is both willing and able to defend our fundamental rights.