handing down a punishment. In the vast majority of criminal cases, the judge decides the sentencing hearing, 
but in some cases, a jury determines the outcome. Although this was a brief overview, it is essential to 
know that the courts charge defendants, holding a preliminary hearing, arraignment, potential plea bargains, 
adjudication, and sentencing. 
After a defendant is found guilty, they have the right to appeal the outcome if they believe they were 
wrongly convicted or the sentence was too harsh. An appeal is not another trial, but an opportunity for the 
defendant to try to raise specific errors that might have occurred at trial. A common appeal is that a decision 
from the judge was incorrect – such as whether to suppress certain evidence or to impose a certain sentence. 
Appeals are complicated and sometimes result in the case going back to the trial court. A conviction can 
get reversed, a sentence altered, or a new trial may be ordered altogether if the Appeals Court decides that 
particular course of action. If a circuit court judge decides the appeal, then a defendant can try to appeal 
that decision to the United States Supreme Court in Washington, D.C. The United States Supreme Court 
is the highest appellate court in the American court system, and they make the final decision concerning a 
defendant’s appeal. The Court is not required to hear an appeal in every case and takes only a small number 
of cases each year. 
7 
More details 
The courtroom in Valley County Courthouse in Ord, Nebraska. The Beaux-Arts building was constructed in 1920. It is listed in the 
National Register of Historic Places. 
7. United States Department of Justice. (N.D.). Appeal. https://www.justice.gov/usao/justice-101/appeal 
ALISON S. BURKE, DAVID CARTER, BRIAN FEDOREK, TIFFANY MOREY, LORE RUTZ-BURRI, AND SHANELL
SANCHEZ
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