Which of the following hypothetical court cases would a federal court of appeals most likely address?

Question

A.
a case sent down from the US Supreme Court to the court of appeals to get a second opinion
B.
an initial trial for an alleged armed burglar in which witnesses will testify
C.
a case sent from a state supreme court in which the justices cannot resolve the legal issue with state law
D.
a case from a district court in which the defense attorney argues that the decision against his client should be appealed because the district court judge misinterpreted the law

Answer 1

A federal court of appeals would most likely address the following hypothetical court case:

D. a case from a district court in which the defense attorney argues that the decision against his client should be appealed because the district court judge misinterpreted the law.

Federal courts of appeals generally handle appeals from district courts, primarily addressing issues of law rather than re-evaluating factual determinations made during trial. In this scenario, the defense attorney's argument about misinterpretation of law fits within the appellate court's jurisdiction.

The other options have different contexts that do not align with the typical role of a federal court of appeals:

• A pertains to a Supreme Court referral, which is not a standard practice.
• B describes an initial trial, which is under the jurisdiction of a district court, not an appellate court.
• C involves a state supreme court, which does not fall under the authority of federal appellate courts unless it involves a federal issue.