Trial court fact-finding errors cannot be remedied on appeal

Evidence

Although trial courts decide questions of both fact and law, their primary task is to gather the evidence necessary to resolve disputes. Indeed, their success in fact finding is crucial to the administration of justice. If a trial court misinterprets or misapplies the law, its error can be corrected on appeal. But if a trial court does not uncover all the relevant facts, there is no mechanism for introducing new testimony on appeal. Moreover, because they did not hear the witnesses, appellate courts are usually reluctant to reverse a trial court ruling, even if they suspect the trial judge may have misinterpreted the facts of the case. — G. Alan Tarr, Judicial Process and Judicial…, 801

Categorization

• XREF: This fact-law asymmetry explains appellate deference doctrines (clearly erroneous standard) that a legal procedure course will treat in depth. — connects to: Appellate courts must accept a fact-finder’s findings even when wrong — Frederick Schauer, Thinking Like a Lawyer, 388; Courts refuse constitutional questions based upon inadequate factual records — Ruggero J. Aldisert, Agatha D. Aldisert, Logic for Lawyers- A Guide to Clear…, 909; Trial statistics overstate jury awards since appellate review cuts large verdicts — G. Alan Tarr, Judicial Process and Judicial…, 3512 (+1 more)
• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — G. Alan Tarr, Judicial Process and Judicial…, 801

Broader Connections

• Appellate courts must accept a fact-finder’s findings even when wrong #corroborates (0.97) — Frederick Schauer, Thinking Like a Lawyer, 388
• Courts refuse constitutional questions based upon inadequate factual records #expands (0.75) — Ruggero J. Aldisert, Agatha D. Aldisert, Logic for Lawyers- A Guide to Clear…, 909
• Trial statistics overstate jury awards since appellate review cuts large verdicts #qualifies (0.72) — G. Alan Tarr, Judicial Process and Judicial…, 3512