Both defendants and prosecutors in Washington may appeal certain verdicts and orders in criminal cases when it appears as though the trial court acted in error or there was an issue in the evidence presented or not presented at trial. At the Appellate Law Firm, attorney Parker focuses on the appeals process, and he will advocate for your freedom and interests in bringing an appeal on your behalf in your Washington criminal law case.
The defendant in a criminal case in Washington has a right to appeal any final judgment in the case. This would include a guilty verdict on any or all charges brought against the defendant. A defendant can also appeal from orders:
While a defendant can appeal with the objective of having the charges dismissed or obtaining a not guilty verdict, he or she may also seek a reduced sentence through the appeal.
The steps involved in bringing an appeal by a defendant are:
In some cases, the government can appeal your criminal case in order to attempt to get a different result than the one at trial. Under the US Constitution, you have a right against double jeopardy, which means you cannot be retried on a crime for which you were found to be innocent, even if new evidence becomes available after the trial. But there are still instances when the government can still seek an appeal of a criminal trial or order:
Thus, prosecutors may file an appeal of a criminal verdict in order to get a longer sentence than was given at trial or to overturn other decisions that went in a defendant’s favor.
Regardless of whether you are seeking to appeal a verdict or order, or prosecutors are appealing, we focus on appeals and can consult with you about your matter. Appeals are time-sensitive, so please feel free to contact us to discuss your Washington state criminal appeal.