Sometimes, the appellate court finds a defect in the procedure the parties used in filing the appeal and dismisses the appeal without considering its merits, which has the same effect as affirming the judgment below.
sˈʌmtaɪmz, ðɪ ɐpˈɛlət kˈoːɹt fˈaɪndz ɐ dˈiːfɛkt ɪnðə pɹəsˈiːdʒɚ ðə pˈɑːɹɾiz jˈuːzd ɪn fˈaɪlɪŋ ðɪ ɐpˈiːl ænd dɪsmˈɪsᵻz ðɪ ɐpˈiːl wɪðˌaʊt kənsˈɪdɚɹɪŋ ɪts mˈɛɹɪts, wˌɪtʃ hɐz ðə sˈeɪm ɪfˈɛkt æz ɐfˈɜːmɪŋ ðə dʒˈʌdʒmənt bᵻlˈoʊ.