If a defendant is sentenced to death at the trial level, the case then goes into a direct review. The direct review process is a typical legal appeal. An appellate court examines the record of evidence presented in the trial court and the law that the lower court applied and decides whether the decision was legally sound or not. Direct review of a capital sentencing hearing will result in one of three outcomes. If the appellate court finds that no significant legal errors occurred in the capital sentencing hearing, the appellate court will affirm the judgment, or let the sentence stand. If the appellate court finds that significant legal errors did occur, then it will reverse the judgment, or nullify the sentence and order a new capital sentencing hearing. Lastly, if the appellate court finds that no reasonable juror could find the defendant eligible for the death penalty, a rarity, then it will order the defendant acquitted, or not guilty, of the crime for which he/she was given the death penalty, and order him sentenced to the next most severe punishment for which the offense is eligible. About 60 percent survive the process of direct review intact. QUESTIONS:

Q1:
1. Who is allowed to make decisions regarding the legal soundness of a court decision?
2. Who may decide whether a court's decision was legally sound?
3. Who posesses the authority to call a court's decision legally sound or not?
Q2:
1. How many judgments are there possible?
2. What is the total number of judgment possibilities?
3. How many potential judgment outcomes exist?
Q3:
1. Once a direct review has happened, how many outcomes are possible?
2. What is the number of possible outcomes after a direct review?
3. After a direct review, how many potential outcomes are there?
Q4:
1. If a case is determined to have been without error, what happens to the decision?
2. What comes of a decision in the event that a case is determined to be without error?
3. If its decided that a case was without error, what happens to a decision?
Q5:
1. In what cases may a judgment be reversed?
2. When do judgments get reversed?
3. When does the reversal of a judgment occur?
Q6:
1. Does it happen often that a defendant is acquitted?
2. Does the acquittal of a defendant commonly occur?
3. Is a defendant's acquittal a common occurence?
Q7:
1. What punishment is given to a defendant who is found ineligible for the death penalty?
2. When its decided that a defendant cannot receive the death penalty, what punishment do they receive?
3. How are inmates determined to be not eligible for the death penalty remanded?
Q8:
1. In what circunstances does a case go to direct review?
2. When is direct review given to a case?
3. When is direct review something that is given to a case?
Q9:
1. What is the name of the court that reviews cases?
2. It is the job of which court to review cases?
3. What is the court that is charged with reviewing cases?
Q10:
1. What percentage of defendants survive the direct review process?
2. How many defendants come out of the direct review process alive?
3. What's the survival rate of defendants who undergo direct review?
