[blackshoe]

Can an appeal be deemed "without merit" if the issue is a matter of law and the purpose of the appeal is to fulfill Law 93C's requirement that an AC hear the appeal before it can be forwarded to the RA? 93C1 does say "any such further appeal, if deemed to lack merit, may be the subject of a sanction imposed by regulation", but it's unclear to me whether a tournament AC has the right to make that determination if the issue is one on which they cannot rule. I suppose it would then be left to the RA to issue a sanction (assuming there's a regulation to support it).

[bluejak]

It is up to an AC to decide that an appeal is without merit. So, yes they can. Whether they should is another matter.

Presumably the RA can remove the sanction imposed by the AC if they agree it has merit.