Rule 12.11 Mandate

Once a case is fully decided and no more appeals are being pursued, the court has to officially send the decision back to the trial court. This is called issuing a "mandate," and it's handled by the Clerk of the Court of Criminal Appeals.

This happens in three situations. First, if the case went through the Emergency Appellate Division and nobody asked for a rehearing in time. Second, if someone asked for a rehearing but it was turned down, and they didn't then ask the Court of Criminal Appeals to review the case. Third, if someone did ask the Court of Criminal Appeals to review the case, but that request was denied.

In simple terms, the mandate tells the trial court that the appeal process is over and the case can move forward based on the final decision. For details on how people are notified when a mandate is issued, check Rule 3.16.