What is the appellate court’s scope of review for a trial court’s decision to grant or deny a motion to suppress evidence?

In Alaska, the appellate court’s scope of review for a trial court’s decision to grant or deny a motion to suppress evidence is limited. Generally, the appellate court will accept the decision of the trial court and will only overturn the decision if it is clearly erroneous. This means that if the trial court’s decision is supported by substantial evidence, the appellate court will not overturn it. In addition, the appellate court will give deference to the trial court’s findings of fact in making its determination and will not substitute its judgment for that of the trial court. The appellate court will not review a motion to suppress evidence unless the movant was prejudiced by the trial court’s decision. That means that if the movant is able to demonstrate that they were disadvantaged by the trial court’s ruling, the appellate court will consider the motion. In some cases, the appellate court may also consider whether the trial court abused its discretion in granting or denying the motion. The appellate court’s review of a motion to suppress evidence is further limited by the “harmless error” standard. If the appellate court finds that an error occurred in the trial court’s decision, it must still determine whether that error caused any meaningful harm to the movant. If the appellant can show that the error did not affect the outcome of the proceedings, the appellate court will not reverse the decision.

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What is the appellate court’s scope of review for a trial court’s decision to grant or deny a motion to suppress evidence?

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