Court of Appeal (England and Wales)

The Court of Appeal (EWCA)
Royal Courts of Justice, Strand, City of Westminster, London
Established	1 November 1875[1]
Location	Royal Courts of Justice, Strand, City of Westminster, London, UK
Authorized by	Supreme Court of Judicature Act 1873 Supreme Court of Judicature Act 1875 Supreme Court of Judicature Act 1877 Supreme Court of Judicature Act 1891 Criminal Appeal Act 1907 Supreme Court of Judicature (Consolidation) Act 1925 Supreme Court of Judicature (Amendment) Act 1935 Supreme Court of Judicature (Amendment) Act 1938 Supreme Court of Judicature (Amendment) Act 1944 Supreme Court of Judicature (Amendment) Act 1959 Senior Courts Act 1981 (originally entitled Supreme Court Act 1981) Constitutional Reform Act 2005
Appeals to	Supreme Court of the United Kingdom
Website	https://www.judiciary.gov.uk/you-and-the-judiciary/going-to-court/court-of-appeal-home/
Lady Chief Justice of England and Wales
Currently	The Baroness Carr of Walton-on-the-Hill
Since	1 October 2023
Master of the Rolls
Currently	Sir Geoffrey Vos
Since	11 January 2021

This article is part of the series: Courts of England and Wales
Law of England and Wales
Administration Ministry of Justice Lord Chancellor His Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service Judges' Council
Civil and family courts Supreme Court of the United Kingdom Privy Council Court of Appeal Master of the Rolls Court of Appeal judge High Court of Justice President of the King's Bench President of the Family Division Chancellor of the High Court High Court judge County Court List of County Court venues County Court Business Centre District judge Family Court Court of Protection Court of Chivalry
Criminal courts Supreme Court of the United Kingdom Court of Appeal Lord Chief Justice Court of Appeal judge High Court of Justice President of the King's Bench High Court judge Crown Court List of Crown Court venues Circuit judge Recorder Magistrates' courts District judge Justice of the peace / lay magistrates
Criminal prosecution Attorney General Director of Public Prosecutions Crown Prosecution Service
Legal profession Bar Council Barrister Law Society of England and Wales Solicitor Solicitor advocate
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The Court of Appeal (formally "His Majesty's Court of Appeal in England",^[2] commonly cited as "CA", "EWCA" or "CoA") is the highest court within the Senior Courts of England and Wales, and second in the legal system of England and Wales only to the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom.^[3] The Court of Appeal was created in 1875,^[4] and today comprises 39 Lord Justices of Appeal and Lady Justices of Appeal.^[4]

The court has two divisions, Criminal and Civil, led by the Lady Chief Justice and the Master of the Rolls respectively. Criminal appeals are heard in the Criminal Division, and civil appeals in the Civil Division. The Criminal Division hears appeals from the Crown Court, while the Civil Division hears appeals from the County Court, High Court of Justice and Family Court. Permission to appeal is normally required from either the lower court or the Court of Appeal itself; and with permission, further appeal may lie to the Supreme Court.

The Court of Appeal deals only with appeals from other courts or tribunals. The Court of Appeal consists of two divisions: the Civil Division hears appeals from the High Court and the County Court and certain superior tribunals, while the Criminal Division may only hear appeals from the Crown Court connected with a trial on indictment (i.e., for a serious offence). Its decisions are binding on all courts, including itself, apart from the Supreme Court.