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An appellate court is one which only hears matters on which a lower court, or court of first jurisdiction, has already decided, and by which one party to the action or another feels aggrieved. The appellate court examines the evidence and law under which the lower court decision was found, and declares the decision sound or finds fault with it. If the appellate court finds a lower court decision defective, it may nullify, or "reverse" the decision altogether without further proceedings, or may send the matter back for retrial or other proceedings by the lower court in order to remedy the defect.
No new substantive proceedings on the issues are had in an appellate court, only review of proceedings in the court below.