Short answer. With the court that decided your case. The appeal is taken by filing a notice of appeal with the court that rendered the judgment or final order being appealed — not with the appellate court itself, which only receives the case once the appeal is perfected.
What the law says
The appeal is taken by filing a notice of appeal with the court that rendered the judgment or final order appealed from. The notice of appeal shall indicate the parties to the appeal, the judgment or final order or part thereof appealed from, and state the material dates showing the timeliness of the appeal.
Rule 40, Section 3 — How to appeal. Read the full provision →
The notice goes to the court you are appealing from
The rule is direct: the appeal is taken by filing a notice of appeal with the court that rendered the judgment or final order appealed from. The higher court that will eventually hear the appeal is not where the notice is filed — that court only becomes involved once the appeal has actually been perfected through the originating trial court's own docket.
The notice has to identify the appeal precisely
A bare notice is not enough. It must indicate the parties to the appeal, the judgment or final order or part thereof appealed from, and state the material dates showing the timeliness of the appeal. These details let the court, and eventually the appellate court, confirm exactly what is being appealed and that the appeal was genuinely filed within the allowed period.
A record on appeal is only required in specific situations
Unlike the notice itself, a full record on appeal is not always necessary: it is required only in special proceedings and in other cases of multiple or separate appeals, with its form and contents governed by a separate provision. In an ordinary single appeal, the notice of appeal alone is generally what the rule requires from the appellant.
This distinction matters because compiling a full record on appeal is a heavier task than simply filing a bare notice, so knowing which situation genuinely applies saves real time and effort for the appellant from the outset.
The adverse party has to be served copies
Filing with the court is not the only step. Copies of the notice of appeal, and the record on appeal where required, shall be served on the adverse party. An appellant who files the notice but never serves the other side has not fully complied with what this rule requires of a properly and correctly taken appeal.
Proof of that service is typically expected alongside the filing itself, not supplied only if later questioned.