# C o u rt o f

A p p ea ls

o f t h e S t a te o f

G eo rg ia

ATLANTA,_

_ _ __ _ _ __ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ __ _

Th e Co u rt

o f Ap p ea l s h er eb y p a s s es t h e f

o ll owi n g o r der :

A1 9 A1 22 3 . CALVI N J

. SMI TH v . THE STATE.

In 2 0 17

, a ju ry co n v i ct ed Cal v i n J

. Sm it h o f p o s s e s s i o n of a fi rearm b y a

co n vi ct ed fel on

. Sm i t h su b s eq u en t l y fi l ed a m o t i on to v acat e a v o i d s en t en ce, arg u i n g

t h at h is acq u i t t al o n o t h er ch arg es b arred h i s co n v i ct i on fo r p o s s es s in g a fi rearm

. Th e

t ri al co urt d en ied t h e m o ti o n o n J an u ary 1 1

, 2 0 1 8, an d Sm i t h fi l ed h i s n o t i ce o f ap p eal

o n Feb ru ary

2 6, 2 01 8 . W e l ack ju ri s d i ct i o n

.

To b e t i m el y

, a n o t i ce of ap p eal m u s t b e fi l ed w i t hi n 3 0 d ay s aft er en t ry o f t h e

o rd er o n ap p eal

. See O CGA § 5 -6 -3 8 (a). T he p ro p er an d t i m el y fi l i n g o f a n o t i ce o f

ap p eal i s an ab s o l u t e req u i rem en t t o co n fer ju ri s d i ct i o n o n t hi s Co u rt

. See Co u ch v.

Un i ted P a p er wo r ker s In t l

. Un i on

, 2 2 4 Ga. A p p

. 7 2 1 (4 8 2 SE2 d 7 0 4 ) (1 99 7 ). Becau s e

Sm it h ’s n o t i ce o f ap peal was fi l ed 4 6 d ay s aft er en t ry o f t h e t ri al co u rt ’ s ord er, we

l ack ju ri s d i ct i o n o v er t h is ap p eal

. 1

Ev en i f t h e n o t i ce o f ap p eal were t i m e l y

, t h i s ap p eal wo u l d b e s u b ject to

d i s m i s s al

. A d irect ap p eal m ay l i e fro m a n o r d er d en y i n g a m o t i o n to vacat e a v o id

s en t en ce, b u t o n l y i f t he d efen dan t r a i s e s a co l o rab l e cl ai m th at t h e sen t en ce i s

, in

fact

, v o i d

. See Ha r

p er v. S t a t e

, 2 8 6 Ga. 2 1 6

, 2 1 7 n .1 (6 8 6 SE2 d 7 8 6 ) (2 0 0 9 ); Bu r g

v. S ta t e

, 2 9 7 Ga. Ap p

. 1 18

, 1 1 9 (6 7 6 SE2 d 4 6 5 ) (2 0 0 9). A sen t en ce i s v o i d o n l y i f

i t i m po s es p un is h m en t t h at t h e l aw d o es n o t al l o w. Cr u mb l ey v. S t a te , 2 6 1 Ga. 6 1 0,

1 Acco rd i n g t o t h e cert i fi cat e o f serv i ce, Sm i th m ai l ed hi s n o t i ce o f ap p eal o n

Feb ru ary 5

, 20 1 8

, bu t i t was n o t e n t ered b y t h e t ri al co u rt cl erk u nt i l Feb ru ary 2 6,

2 0 1 8

. Al th o u g h Sm i th wo u l d be g i v en t h e ben efi t o f a “ m ai l b o x r u l e ” f o r a h ab eas

m at t er, t h e ru l e d o es n o t ap p l y t o t h i s n o n -h ab eas m o t i o n

. See Ja cks o n v. S t a t e

, 3 1 3

Ga. Ap p . 4 8 3 , 4 8 4 (7 2 2 SE2 d 8 0 ) (2 0 1 1 ). February 01, 20196 1 1 (1 ) (4 09 SE2 d 5 1 7) (1 99 1 ). “ M o t io n s t o v ac a t e a v o id s en t en ce g en eral l y are

l i m i ted t o cl ai m s t h at

– ev en as su m i n g t he ex i s t en ce an d v al i d i t y o f th e co n v i ct i o n fo r

wh i ch t h e s en t en ce was i m p o s ed

– t h e l aw d o es n ot au th o ri ze t h at sen t en ce, m o s t

t y p i c a l l y b ecau s e i t ex ceed s t h e m o s t s ev ere p u n i s h m en t fo r wh i ch t he ap p l i cab l e

p en al s t at u t e pro v i d es .” Vo n Th o ma s v. S t a t e

, 29 3 Ga. 5 6 9

, 5 72 (2 ) (7 4 8 SE2 d 4 4 6 )

(2 0 1 3).

Here, Sm i t h d o es no t al leg e t h at t h e fi v e-y ear s en t en ce ex ceed ed t h e m ax i m u m

al l o wab le s en t en ce. Rat h er, h e ch al l en g es t h e co n v i ct io n i t s el f. Th e Su p rem e Co u rt

h as m a d e c l e a r t h at a m ot i o n s eek i n g t o ch al l en g e an al l eg ed l y i nv al i d o r v o id

ju d g m en t o f co n v ict i o n “ i s n o t o n e o f t h e es tab l is h ed p ro ced u res fo r ch al len g i n g t h e

v al i d i t y o f a ju d g m en t i n a cri m i n al cas e” an d t hat an ap p eal fro m t h e d en ial o f s u ch

a m o t i o n i s s u b

ject to d i s m i s sal

. Ro b er t

s v. S t at e

, 2 86 Ga. 5 3 2

, 5 3 2 (6 9 0 SE2 d 1 5 0 )

(2 0 1 0).

Fo r t h es e reas o ns

, we lack ju ri s d i ct i o n o v er t h i s a p p eal

, w h i ch i s h ereb y

DISM ISSED.

C o u r t o f A p p e a l s o f t h e S t a t e o

f G e o r g ia

C le r k ’ s O f f i c e

, A t la n t a

,

_

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ I c e r ti fy t h a t t h e a b o v e i s a t r u e e x t r a c t f r o m

t h e m i n u t e s o

f t h e C o u r t o

f A p p e a l s o f G e o r g i a

.

W i tn e s s m y s i g n a t u r e a n d th e s e a l o

f s a i d c o u r t

h e r e t o a f f i x e d t h e d a y a n d y e a r l a s t a b o v e w r i t t e n

.

, C l e r k

. 02/01/2019