The Criminal Justice System: How it works

This page presents an overview and explanation of the criminal trial process and how I approach criminal cases.

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Click on the links to learn more about each step in the process.

Appeals

Arrest
or
Indictment

Once convicted, a defendant may appeal his or her conviction and/or sentence to a court of appeal. A court of appeals consists of a panel of judges who review the record and consider the arguments of lawyers for the prosecution and the defense. If it finds a serious error in the proceedings, it may order a new trial or new sentencing. In some extremely rare cases the court of appeals may set aside the jury verdict and enter a judgment of acquittal for the defendant.

Most appeals involve criminal cases, and most are not successful. However this should not discourage a person with a meritorious issue from appealing a conviction or sentence. Judges and juries are composed of humans. Like all of us they can have bad days and make mistakes. Courts of appeal exist exclusively to review the decisions of trial judges and juries.

A criminal case may ultimately be appealed directly to the United States Supreme Court. However, the U.S. Supreme Court is a court of limited jurisdiction and accepts only a very small percentage of cases submitted for review each year

United States Circuit Courts of Appeal. At these websites you can check the court calander, download court rules and other legal texts as well as search, read and download opinions.

1st Circuit Court of Appeals

2nd Circuit Court of Appeals

3rd Circuit Court of Appeals

4th Circuit Court of Appeals

5th Circuit Court of Appeals

6th Circuit Court of Appeals

7th Circuit Court of Appeals

8th Circuit Court of Appeals

9th Circuit Court of Appeals

10th Circuit Court of Appeals

11th Circuit Court of Appeals

DC Circuit Court of Appeals

Louisiana Appellate Courts:

Louisiana Supreme Court website. You can read opinions, news releases, and court rules, and can even watch a video feed of oral arguments.

Louisiana State Circuit Courts of Appeal. At these websites you can read the docket, checkout the local rules, find breifing checklists, and read court opinions

1st Circuit Court of Appeals

2nd Circuit Court of Appeals

3rd Circuit Court of Appeals

4th Circuit Court of Appeals

5th Circuit Court of Appeals

Other Resources:

The Louisiana Appellate Project provides appellate services for indigent criminal defendants in all non-capital felony appeals and felony-grade juvenile adjudications. It includes the work in the appellate court and, when professionally appropriate, filing for writs to the Supreme Court, as well as any case appealed by the State, such as when a statute is declared unconstitutional.

Appeals in Capital cases are handled by a sister agency, The Capital Appeals Project.