A highly qualified team of Assistant District Attorneys are assigned to the Appellate Unit. They not only represent the Commonwealth before the Appellate Courts but they also work hand in hand
with trial prosecutors on a daily basis to assist them with legal questions that arise during the course of a prosecution.
with trial prosecutors on a daily basis to assist them with legal questions that arise during the course of a prosecution.
Every Defendant has a right to appeal a conviction. When convicted defendants appeal from their convictions and/or sentences, the Appellate Unit answers their claims and presents the Commonwealth’s arguments to the Massachusetts Appeals Court or to the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts.
Occasionally, the District Attorney also appeals from judicial rulings on pretrial motions, for example the suppression of evidence or the dismissal of a case. The Appeals Unit also handles these types of appeals. However, the District Attorney cannot appeal when a defendant has been found not guilty after trial.