Because law is committed to the distinction between the trier of fact and the determiner of law, findings of fact are typically separated from conclusions of law when the same trial judge takes on both tasks. More importantly, findings of fact are typically, except in the most egregious of instances, treated as sacrosanct in the appellate process. It is only slight hyperbole to say that if a jury were to find that the moon was made of green cheese, an appellate court ruling on a legal question about the moon or about green cheese would be expected to take the jury's false conclusion as true.

Unknown, Frederick Schauer - Thinkin…, loc. 388