A Criminal Appeal – Convicted or Given a Harsh Sentence? This Is Not the End of the Road
Every defendant has one appeal as of right: a judgment of the Magistrate's Court is appealed to the District Court, and a judgment of the District Court to the Supreme Court.
Convicted? Received a severe sentence? This is not the end
Every defendant has one appeal as of right: a judgment of the Magistrate's Court is appealed to the District Court, and a judgment of the District Court to the Supreme Court. An appeal may be filed against the verdict itself (the conviction itself), the sentence (the severity of the punishment), or both. The prosecution may also appeal, against an acquittal or against the leniency of the sentence.
The deadline: 45 days, no forgiveness
An appeal must be filed within 45 days from the date of the judgment. Delay requires a request for an extension of time, which is not self-evident. The practical meaning: the decision whether to appeal must be made quickly, preferably with the support of a legal opinion from a lawyer who reads the judgment with a critical eye, even if that lawyer did not represent in the first instance. A fresh outside perspective often identifies grounds that were missed.
What do people actually appeal?
The appellate court does not conduct the trial anew, and it rarely intervenes in findings of fact and credibility. The strongest grounds of appeal are: legal errors in the verdict; a conviction based on an evidentiary foundation that is insufficient; procedural defects that prejudiced the defense; case law that contradicts binding precedents; and an extreme deviation from the accepted sentencing policy in the sentence. A successful appeal is built on a surgical analysis of the judgment and the trial protocol, not on repeating arguments that were rejected.
Representation in criminal appeals
Israel Arama, a former member of the Tel Aviv District Attorney's Office, analyzes judgments and conducts criminal appeals, including requests to stay execution of a sentence pending the decision on the appeal. Received a judgment? Time is limited. Seek an examination of the grounds of appeal immediately.
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