Prince George’s County Appeals Lawyer
If you have sustained a criminal conviction, you have a right to appeal that decision and contest it in court. When it comes to appeals, you could allege that the judge who handled your criminal case made a legal error. For example, the judge might have admitted something into evidence at trial that they should not have admitted. You could also allege that the court made a procedural error.
If you believe that the court made an error or wrongly decided your case, you need an experienced appellate attorney to assist you with filing an appeal. Appeals have many deadlines associated with them, and if you do not satisfy these deadlines, you could inadvertently waive your right to appeal the court’s decision in your case. Call a Prince George’s County appeals lawyer today for more information about filing an appeal in your criminal matter.
Grounds for Appeal
There are numerous grounds for appeal which may apply to the facts and circumstances surrounding a particular criminal case. A PGs County appeals attorney could obtain a transcript of the trial proceeding, investigate the facts of the trial, and determine if the trial judge or some other individual made an error.
Legal errors – or errors of law – could occur at any stage of the criminal proceedings. Typical grounds for an appeal in PG County criminal cases include the following:
- Failing to suppress evidence that was illegally obtained – When a criminal case is pending, the criminal accused has numerous legal and constitutional rights, including a Fourth Amendment constitutional right against unreasonable searches and seizures and a Fifth Amendment constitutional right against self-incrimination. If a judge lets something into evidence that the police or investigators obtained in violation of the accused’s constitutional rights, the verdict could be subject to appeal.
- Mistake in a jury instruction – Judges are responsible for reading the pre-selected jury instructions to the jury panel at the end of a criminal jury trial. Jury instructions inform the jury members about the law which they should apply during their deliberations and when reaching a verdict. If the judge reading the jury instructions misquotes an instruction, adds an improper instruction, or omits an essential instruction, then that could amount to reversible error.
In addition to these legal errors, the accused might be able to file an appeal if there was insufficient evidence to support the verdict which the jury ultimately reached. At other times, a jury verdict might be appealable on the basis of jury member’s misconduct or an error on the part of the accused’s legal counsel.
A PG County appeals lawyer could determine the accused’s eligibility to file an appeal on one or more of these legal grounds.
Let a Prince George’s County Appeals Attorney Assist You
In Prince George’s County, if you appeal your case from the district court up to the circuit court, then there will be a new trial with a new verdict – all without reference to the decisions made at the district-court level. If you lose at the circuit court level, you could file a notice of appeal with the Maryland Court of Special Appeals. The Court of Special Appeals does not hear new evidence but could grant you a new trial.
In some instances, pursuing appellate relief is a favorable option. Call a Prince George’s County appeals lawyer today to find out if filing an appeal in your case might be worthwhile.