Following a criminal conviction, individuals are entitled to appeal the local court’s decision in a higher court. This differs from retrial and postconviction collateral appeal.
Get the entire Just Mercy LitChart as a printable PDF.
"My students can't get enough of your charts and their results have gone through the roof." -Graham S.
The timeline below shows where the term Direct Appeal appears in Just Mercy. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 5: Of the Coming of John
...the retrial has been denied, Stevenson’s next step in Walter’s case is to request a direct appeal . If that fails, Stevenson will have to put together a postconviction petition, which would...
(full context)
Chapter 7: Justice Denied
Stevenson requests a direct appeal of Walter’s conviction. In his written brief, he notes several flaws in Walter’s case, including...
(full context)
...hopeful because they have new evidence and several remaining options, including a reconsideration of the direct appeal decision. Stevenson recently hired Michael O’Connor, a son of Irish immigrants and recovered heroin addict...
(full context)
With Walter’s direct appeal pending, Stevenson and Michael file a Rule 32 petition, which would allow them to move...
(full context)