Meaning & use
appeal overturned
Last updated
Meaning
phrasefixed phraselegallaw
A legal decision in which a higher court changes or cancels the ruling of a lower court after a request for review.
Grammar: Used as a noun phrase: the appeal was overturned; or as a verb phrase: the court overturned the appeal.
Patterns
- the appeal was overturned
- an appeal overturned by the Supreme Court
- the court overturned the appeal
The conviction was thrown out after the appeal was overturned.
News headline: 'Appeal overturned in high-profile fraud case.'
His lawyer announced that the appeal had been overturned.
Common combinations
- appeal overturned by the court
- The appeal was overturned by the court of appeals.
- successfully overturned on appeal
- The verdict was successfully overturned on appeal.
- seek to have an appeal overturned
- The prosecution sought to have the appeal overturned.
Synonyms and how they differ
- reversed
- In legal contexts, 'reversed' means the same as 'overturned' but is more formal.
- quashed
- Often used for a decision being canceled completely; 'overturned' can also mean changed.
Opposites
Commonly confused: appeal overturned or appeal denied?
appeal overturned vs appeal denied
If an appeal is denied, the higher court refuses to change the decision; if it is overturned, the decision is changed.
Practice
What does it mean if an appeal is overturned?
Choose one answer.
Overturned means the higher court changed or canceled the lower court's decision. Rejected means the opposite, and postponed or withdrawn do not involve a change in the ruling.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “appeal overturned”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.