Also known as: affirmed
Written by attorneys · grounded in primary & secondary sources — see below
An abbreviation used in legal citations to indicate that an appellate court has affirmed the judgment or decision of a lower court.
Select any source to read its text and confirm it supports the definition.
Andre Antoine signed a written post-marriage agreement waiving his elective share rights in exchange for a lump-sum payment. After his spouse's death the probate court enforced the agreement against his later petition. The appellate court reviewed the signed writing and the lack of duress and aff'd the enforcement order.
Austin Abbott sent a signed letter offering to sell land before any formal contract existed. The buyer later accepted orally and the seller refused to perform. The trial court held the pre-contract letter satisfied the statute and the appeals court aff'd that ruling.
Alexis Archer sued a newspaper for false light after a substantially true article appeared. The trial court dismissed the claim on constitutional grounds. The appellate court aff'd the dismissal because the reporting fell within protected speech.
Ariana Azizi signed a spousal waiver without separate legal advice or a plain-language explanation of rights. The probate court refused to enforce the agreement. On appeal the reviewing court aff'd the refusal under the statutory safeguards.
Anthony Arnold lost the only signed memorandum of an oral land contract. He offered an unsigned copy and witness testimony at trial. The court admitted the evidence and held the statute satisfied. The appeals court aff'd that result.
Ava Adebayo moved to suppress a statement taken without Miranda warnings. The district court granted suppression. The court of appeals aff'd the order because the warnings were required before custodial interrogation.
It signals that an appellate court has affirmed the lower court's decision without change.
Supporting sources
Yes. The abbreviation follows the citation of the decision being reviewed and precedes the appellate citation.
Supporting sources
No. When the appellate court changes the result the proper abbreviation is aff'd in part or rev'd in part.
Supporting sources
…defendant signed a typed confession. At his trial, this confession was admitted over his objection. The Arizona Supreme Court affirmed the conviction, holding that the defendant’s constitutional rights were not violated. In Vignera v. New York , the defendant was arrested in connection with a robbery. He was taken to the…