An appellate court is any court of law that is empowere to hear an appeal of a trial court or other lower tribunal. In most jurisdictions, the court system is divided into at least three levels: the trial court, which initially hears cases and reviews evidence and testimony to determine the facts of the case; at least one intermediate appellate court; and a supreme court or court of last resort which primarily reviews the decisions of the intermediate courts. A supreme court is therefore itself a kind of appellate court.