upper court

[ˈʌpər kɔːrt]
nounpl: upper courts
tribunal superior
1. A court of higher jurisdiction that has the authority to review decisions made by lower courts; an appellate court.
The case was appealed to the upper court after the lower court's ruling.
O caso foi apelado para o tribunal superior após a decisão do tribunal de primeira instância.
2. A court that sits above trial courts in the judicial hierarchy and typically handles appeals and legal matters of greater significance.
The upper court reversed the lower court's decision on constitutional grounds.
O tribunal superior reverteu a decisão do tribunal inferior por motivos constitucionais.
In Brazil's judicial system, 'tribunal superior' refers to courts like the Superior Court of Justice (STJ) and the Supreme Federal Court (STF). In the United States, this term encompasses federal courts of appeals and state appellate courts. The concept is fundamental to both legal systems as they allow for review and correction of lower court decisions.
Synonyms / Sinônimos
appellate courtcourt of appealshigher courtsuperior court
Antonyms / Antônimos
lower courttrial courtcourt of first instance

Regional Variations

General Brazilian
tribunal superior
Standard term used throughout Brazil for higher-level courts in the judicial system
São Paulo
tribunal de apelação
Also commonly used to refer to appellate courts specifically
Portugal
tribunal superior
Same terminology used in Portuguese judicial system
United States
upper court
Generic term; specific courts include U.S. Court of Appeals and state supreme courts

Related Words

judiciaryappellate jurisdictionjudicial reviewsupreme court

Related Idioms & Phrases

appeal to a higher court
reverse a decision in upper court
judicial hierarchy
Look up more words on Fala2Me
The free English-Portuguese dictionary with real Brazilian accents, NYC slang, conjugator and more
Open Fala2Me →