Intermediate appellate court
Glossary·Verified 2026-07-10
Definition
An intermediate appellate court sits between a state's trial courts and its court of last resort, reviewing trial court decisions on appeal. Most states have one, and where one exists, the large majority of appeals end there rather than reaching the state supreme court.
Why it matters
Because most appeals stop at the intermediate level, these courts, not the state supreme court, decide the bulk of appellate law that affects most litigants. A handful of low-population states skip this layer entirely and send appeals straight to their court of last resort.
Seen in the wild
Nevada created its Court of Appeals through a 2014 constitutional amendment voters approved, and the three-judge court began hearing cases assigned to it by the state supreme court in January 2015.1