Lower appellate courts decide most appeals on briefs rather than oral argument

Evidence

But amicus curiae briefs are less often filed in cases before other appellate courts, because some appeals raise issues of interest solely to the parties, without the broad legal significance that attracts groups to a case. Other appellate courts also rely less heavily on oral argument, either dispensing with it altogether or reserving it for complex or important cases, and decide most appeals on the basis of the briefs of the parties and the lower court record. — G. Alan Tarr, Judicial Process and Judicial…, 1596

Categorization

• XREF: Directly contrasts with the Supreme Court’s information-gathering process described on the same page — briefs, amicus briefs, and oral argument. — connects to: Intermediate state appellate courts render final decisions in most appealed cases — G. Alan Tarr, Judicial Process and Judicial…, 314; Appellate courts vary in how much discretion they exercise over which cases to hear. — G. Alan Tarr, Judicial Process and Judicial…, 1462; Legal briefs are advocacy documents rather than neutral presentations of law. — G. Alan Tarr, Judicial Process and Judicial…, 1536 (+4 more)

Broader Connections

• Most state and lower federal appellate decisions draw almost no public attention #expands (0.95) — G. Alan Tarr, Judicial Process and Judicial…, 1600
• Written interchange among appellate judges shapes and narrows final opinions #exemplifies (0.95) — G. Alan Tarr, Judicial Process and Judicial…, 577
• Judicial influence on the Supreme Court is exercised through written opinions #expands (0.90) — G. Alan Tarr, Judicial Process and Judicial…, 945