writ of error

American  

noun

Law.

1. a writ issued by an appellate court to the court of record where a case was tried, requiring that the record of the trial be sent to the appellate court for examination of alleged errors.

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Example Sentences

For a defendant who has served the entire sentence, a court can issue a writ of error coram nobis, which removes a conviction as a result of a change in the facts or the law.

From New York Times • Dec. 15, 2014

Judgments, etc., may be reviewed on appeal or writ of error Sec.

From Copyright: Its History and Its Law by Bowker, Richard Rogers

Then, inquired the postmasters-general, might not a writ of error be brought with a view to hang up the judgment of the Court of King's Bench until the matter should be settled by Parliament.

From The History of the Post Office From Its Establishment Down to 1836 by Joyce, Herbert

If the decision be against the plaintiff, and his suit dismissed for want of jurisdiction, the judgment is technically final, and he may at once sue out his writ of error.

From Report of the Decision of the Supreme Court of the United States, and the Opinions of the Judges Thereof, in the Case of Dred Scott versus John F.A. Sandford December Term, 1856. by Howard, Benjamin C.

The decision on the demurrer was in favor of the plaintiff; and as the plaintiff prosecutes this writ of error, he does not complain of the decision on the demurrer.

From Report of the Decision of the Supreme Court of the United States, and the Opinions of the Judges Thereof, in the Case of Dred Scott versus John F.A. Sandford December Term, 1856. by Howard, Benjamin C.