Are there appellate court opinions that can be cited in a criminal appeal?

In North Carolina, appellate court opinions can indeed be cited in a criminal appeal. The North Carolina Supreme Court and North Carolina Court of Appeals both produce opinions that can be used when making an appeal. An appellate opinion is a written document containing the decision of an appellate court, which is a court that reviews the decisions of lower courts. When an appeal is filed, the parties or their attorneys must cite to legal authorities, which are past court decisions and statutes, to support their arguments. By citing to an appellate court opinion, the parties are able to show that the appellate court has already followed the same legal arguments that they are now making. If the appellate court opinion supports the argument of a party, then those facts and legal reasoning can be used to help strengthen their appeal. However, a party cannot simply cite to a case without providing an explanation of how the facts of the appellate court opinion match up with the facts of their own case. In addition, the party must explain why the court’s legal analysis from the opinion supports the argument they are making. If the party successfully cites the appellate opinion and makes a strong argument about its relevance to their case, then their appeal may be more successful.

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