Appellate Jurisdiction

“Filing a notice of appeal transfers jurisdiction from the trial court to an appellate court, thereby removing the trial court’s authority to amend, modify, or reconsider its judgment.” Corp. Mgmt. v. Green County, 23 So. 3d 454, 460 (¶13) (Miss. 2009). “In other words, the appeal removes the case ipso facto to the appellate courts.” Id. A party may execute on the judgment if an appeal has no supersedeas bond; however, “the [chancery] court cannot ‘broaden, amend, modify, vacate, clarify, or rehear the decree.’” Id. (citation omitted).

In most suits, the trial judge loses all jurisdiction once a case is appealed. McNeil v. Hester, 753 So.2d 1057, 1075-76 (Miss.2000). A chancellor, however, may modify child support, custody and visitation while a case is on appeal if a proper basis for doing so is shown. The court may re-examine the question of custody or support at anytime on showing a change of conditions, regardless of the pendency of an appeal. It may, and sometimes does, require many months to determine a case on appeal.  Smith v. Necaise, 357 So.2d 931, 933 (Miss. 1978), quoting DeSimone v. DeSimone, 392 S.W.2d 68, 68-69 (Ky.1965).

The Mississippi Supreme Court says an appeal with supersedeas does not vacate the judgment appealed from; it merely suspends the enforcement of the judgment pending the determination of the appeal. If on that determination the judgment is affirmed, the effect thereof is to establish or confirm the validity of the judgment from and as the date of its rendition in the court of original jurisdiction. See also Klaas v. Continental Southern Lines, 225 Miss. 94, 82 So.2d 705, 708. The Court said: "Clearly the judgments of the trial court were the effective adjudications of plaintiffs' rights. Their effect was suspended during appeal with supersedeas to the Supreme Court, but our judgment simply affirmed the validity of the judgments of the circuit court" See also Stone v. McKay Plumbing Co., 200 Miss. 792, 26 So.2d 349, 30 So.2d 91; Lyle Cashion Co. v. McKendrick, 227 Miss. 894, 87 So.2d 289.

A party may execute on the judgment if an appeal has no supersedeas bond; however, "the [chancery] court cannot `broaden, amend, modify, vacate, clarify, or rehear the decree.'" Id. (citation omitted).