An appellate court is a court that hears only appeals. This court takes the applications of individuals who are appealing their previous ruling from a lower court and makes a decision on whether or not the proper legal proceedings were filed. The information that is in use to make this decision is based specifically on the record of the case. The appellate court itself does not hear any new evidence but looks for errors in the law used during the proceedings or the sentencing. If an error or problem is observed, the appellate court then determines the appropriate action, which may be to adjust the sentencing, change the ruling or send the case back to be heard again. The appellate court may or may not make a ruling to change the outcome of a case.