Acts 25:9

As the new governor, Festus did not want to do anything that would turn the Jewish authorities against him, especially in view of Felix’s record. He did not know how to proceed (Acts 25:20), but he wanted to stay in the Jews’ favor. Therefore he somewhat naively asked Paul if he was willing to move his trial to Jerusalem, the site of some of his alleged crimes. The fact that he asked Paul’s permission indicates that Paul was not a common criminal but an unconvicted Roman citizen with rights that the governor had to respect.