Opinion ID: 4518153
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: standard of review

Text: [1] In an appeal of a criminal case from the county court, the district court acts as an intermediate court of appeals, and its review is limited to an examination of the record for error or abuse of discretion. 1 1 State v. McCave, 282 Neb. 500, 805 N.W.2d 290 (2011). - 341 - Nebraska Supreme Court Advance Sheets 305 Nebraska Reports STATE v. THELEN Cite as 305 Neb. 334 [2] Both the district court and a higher appellate court generally review appeals from the county court for error appearing on the record. 2 [3] When reviewing a judgment for errors appearing on the record, an appellate court’s inquiry is whether the decision conforms to the law, is supported by competent evidence, and is neither arbitrary, capricious, nor unreasonable. 3 [4] We independently review questions of law in appeals from the county court. 4 [5] When deciding appeals from criminal convictions in county court, we apply the same standards of review that we apply to decide appeals from criminal convictions in district court. 5 [6] In reviewing a criminal conviction for a sufficiency of the evidence claim, whether the evidence is direct, circumstantial, or a combination thereof, the standard is the same: An appellate court does not resolve conflicts in the evidence, pass on the credibility of witnesses, or reweigh the evidence; such matters are for the finder of fact. 6 The relevant question for an appellate court is whether, after viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the prosecution, any rational trier of fact could have found the essential elements of the crime beyond a reasonable doubt. 7 [7] Statutory interpretation presents a question of law, for which an appellate court has an obligation to reach an independent conclusion irrespective of the decision made by the court below. 8 2 Id. 3 Id. 4 Id. 5 Id. 6 State v. McCurdy, 301 Neb. 343, 918 N.W.2d 292 (2018). 7 Id. 8 Saylor v. State, 304 Neb. 779, 936 N.W.2d 924 (2020). - 342 - Nebraska Supreme Court Advance Sheets 305 Nebraska Reports STATE v. THELEN Cite as 305 Neb. 334