Short answer. It goes back down. Rule 124, Section 17 requires that once entry of judgment is issued by the Court of Appeals, a certified true copy of the judgment is attached to the original record, which is then remanded to the clerk of the court from which the appeal was taken.
What the law says
When the entry of judgment of the Court of Appeals is issued, a certified true copy of the judgment shall be attached to the original record which shall be remanded to the clerk of the court from which the appeal was taken.
Rule 124, Section 17 — Judgment transmitted and filed in trial court. Read the full provision →
Entry of judgment triggers the process
Section 17's process begins once entry of judgment is issued by the Court of Appeals — the formal recording of the appellate decision as final. That entry is the trigger event that sets the remand of the record in motion; nothing in the rule requires this before the judgment reaches that stage. Before that point, the case remains within the Court of Appeals' own docket, and the remand process described in Section 17 has not yet begun.
A certified copy travels with the original record
The rule requires a certified true copy of the judgment to be attached to the original record before it is sent back. This ensures the trial court receiving the record has an authenticated copy of exactly what the Court of Appeals decided, physically joined to the case file it will now handle again. Without that attached certification, the trial court receiving the file back would have no independently verifiable proof of exactly what the appellate court decided.
Back to the court of origin
The original record, with the certified judgment attached, is remanded to the clerk of the court from which the appeal was taken — the trial court where the case started. That court then has what it needs to enforce or implement the now-final appellate judgment in the case that originated there. From there, enforcement of the judgment, or any further action the case requires, proceeds through the trial court rather than through the Court of Appeals itself.
Why remand matters for enforcement
The Court of Appeals is not the court that enforces a criminal judgment day to day — that responsibility belongs to the trial court where the case originated, which is why the record has to travel back down once the appeal is finally resolved. Remanding the original record, with the certified judgment attached, gives the trial court everything it needs to carry out the sentence or otherwise implement the final ruling without having to separately request materials from the Court of Appeals.