Appellate Unit

Our office is responsible for most of the criminal appeals filed by defendants convicted in Kitsap County. An appeal is a claim made to a higher court alleging that the judge presiding over a trial or hearing made a legal mistake. For example, consider a defendant charged with drug possession based on methamphetamine found on his person when he was stopped by the police for speeding. If the defendant thinks that the evidence was gathered in violation of his right to be free from unlawful searches, he will seek to have the evidence suppressed by the trial court. If the trial judge allows the evidence, and the defendant is convicted, the defendant may appeal the ruling admitting the evidence. Appeals from the district and municipal courts go to the Superior Court, appeals from the Superior Court generally go the state Court of Appeals, and the state Supreme Court, in its discretion, may choose to hear appeals from the Court of Appeals.