SYDNEY (NEW SOUTH WALES, AUSTRALIA)
Australian Associated Press via 7 News
April 5, 2020
By Karen Sweeney
There are many possible outcomes of George Pell’s appeal to the High Court.
Possible Appeal Bid Outcomes:
* Unanimous or Split Decisions
Like in any appeal court, the decision of the judges could be unanimous or it could be split. The majority decision will stand, which, in this case, would be a 4-3 split.
* Multiple Reasons
If all the judges reach the same decision for the same reasons, it’s possible they’ll hand down their decision in a single judgment.
If there is a split decision, then there’ll be a majority judgment handed down. The decisions of the judges in the minority are called dissents.
Sometimes judges come to the same decision but for different reasons so they’ll each publish their own reasons. That means there could be up to seven different opinions handed down.
* Special Leave Application Refused
The High Court has to grant Pell special leave to appeal before they can formally consider the appeal.
Usually this happens before the appeal hearing, but in Pell’s case it was decided they’d hear the appeal arguments before making a decision on granting special leave.
If special leave is refused, Pell’s conviction will stand and he will remain behind bars.
* Special Leave Application Granted
If the High Court determines there is a legal question for them to consider, then they’ll grant special leave.
After that, there’s a few paths they can follow:
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