“I’m taking this case to the Supreme Court” are words I hear every once in a while, although I have not yet had a case which got to that august place. Regardless, understanding the appellate process helps anyone who is involved with a lawsuit.

Appeals come when a case is over, mostly. (Interlocutory appeals, which are called special action petitions in the Arizona state system, exist. However, they only succeed when the appealing party can demonstrate that bad things will happen if the appellate court does not straighten out the trial court before the case ends.) The case may end after a trial, or by way of a motion of one sort or another. Regardless, the appeal comes when the