The Appellate Bureau is responsible for representing the State of Connecticut in appeals challenging criminal convictions from trial courts throughout the state. The Bureau, which employs approximately 25 prosecutors, prepares written legal arguments (briefs) and presentations (oral argument) before the Connecticut Supreme Court and the Connecticut Appellate Court.

In any given year, the Bureau may have approximately 800 separate cases pending before the state’s appellate courts and another dozen before the United States Supreme Court. 

The centralization of appellate litigation in a single bureau serving the entire State permits prosecutors to become appellate specialists. These attorneys track developments and trends throughout the state trial courts, and also conduct important research for the Chief State Attorney on criminal justice issues and training.