The trial court decides the facts of the case. Appeals courts decide whether the case was conducted in a proper legal manner.
When you appeal you aren’t arguing that you are actually innocent. You are arguing that your trial was conducted in a way that violated your rights. In fact, in the US, factual innocence is not a basis for appeal. If you are found guilty at a fair trial it doesn’t actually matter whether or not you did the crime as far as appeals courts are concerned.
Also the vast majority of appeals requests are simply denied because no good reason for appeal exists.
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