Article 17 of the Saudi Law of the Judiciary

This article sets out the function of the appeal courts, which has three elements:

• What they consider: the appealable judgments issued by the first-instance courts. Not every judgment is necessarily appealable, and the article does not specify which judgments are. That is left to the procedural laws.
• Hearing the parties: the appeal court rules after hearing the statements of the parties, meaning the parties may present their statements before it.
• Procedures: the court follows the procedures set out in the Law of Sharia Procedure and the Law of Criminal Procedure. The deadlines for appeal, how it is filed and its consequences are governed by those laws.

The appeal courts work through their circuits, which Article 16 lists: civil, criminal, personal status, commercial and labor. The appeal against each judgment goes to the circuit specialized in its kind.

For a litigant, this article means that a person against whom a first-instance court has issued a judgment, if the judgment is appealable, can ask for it to be considered by the appeal court and can be heard there before judgment. Because the deadlines and conditions for appeal are set out in the procedural laws and not in this article, it is important to consult them early, or to consult a lawyer specialized in litigation and court procedure, so as not to miss the deadline.