Appeal, Court of

▪ British court

      in England and Wales, part of the Supreme Court of Judicature and the highest court below the House of Lords (Lords, House of). Its courtrooms are in London in the Royal Courts of Justice. The Court of Appeal consists of a number of lords justices (some 25 in 2003) who are legally eligible to hear appeals, the lord chief justice, the master of the rolls, and several other ex officio members who serve on a part-time basis. Three members of the court typically decide a case, though some decisions may be rendered by only two justices.

      The Court of Appeal comprises two divisions: the Civil Division and the Criminal Division. The Civil Division, which is presided over by the master of the rolls, hears appeals from the High Court, the county courts, and several other smaller tribunals. In civil appeals, the Court of Appeal proceeds by a method called “rehearing.” Under this method, the court typically does not recall witnesses or hear evidence but reviews the case from the record made at trial and from the judge's notes.

      The Criminal Division, presided over by the lord chief justice, decides appeals from the Crown Court and from courts-martial. Within the Criminal Division, courts are constituted by the lord chief justice and lords justices, with frequent assistance from High Court judges. Leave to appeal is required, and, under the Criminal Appeal Act of 1995, appeals are allowed only on the ground that the decision is “unsafe” (e.g., the evidence of the prosecution was unreliable or the defendant was inadequately represented at trial). The Court of Appeal typically does not receive fresh evidence, but it has the discretion to do so if necessary or expedient in the interests of justice. The court may uphold or reverse a lower court's decision, but it may not grant a more severe sentence than originally imposed, except in cases specifically referred to it by the attorney general in which the trial judge appears to have been unduly lenient. The Criminal Division also acts as an advisory body on points of law for the attorney general.

      In most cases, decisions of the Court of Appeal can be appealed to the House of Lords with leave from either body. When leave to appeal is not sought or granted, decisions of the Court of Appeal are final.

* * *