# 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 :

A 1 5 A 2 0 2 4

. GRANT SMERECZ YNSKY v. CI TY OF GAI NESVI LLE,
GEORGI A et a l

.

Gran t Sm ereczy n s k y fi l ed a p et i t i o n fo r decl arat o ry ju dg m en t

, s eek i n g a

d ecl arat io n t h at th e Ci t y o f G ai nes v i l l e, Geo rg i a, t h e m ay o r, an d a n u m b er o f co u n ci l

m em b ers v io l at ed t h e Co m

m erce Cl au s e o f t h e Un i t ed St at es Co n st i t u t i o n , Art

. I, Sec.

8

, Cl

. 3

, an d t h e Ci v i l Ri g h ts A ct

, 4 2 U.S.C. § 1 9 83

, wh en t h ey i n t erp ret ed a zo n i n g

o rd i n an ce an d i t s s u b s eq u en t am en d m en t t o p recl u d e h i m f r o m b u i ld i n g an

“ i n du s t ri al ized ” s in g l e-fam il y h o m e o n h i s p ro p ert y

. Sm ereczy n s k y al s o req u es t ed a

wri t o f m an d am

u s o rd eri n g th e d efen d an t s to rei s s u e a b ui l d i n g p erm i t s o h e co u ld

co m p l et e co n s t ru ct io n o n h i s pro p ert y , an d h e so u g h t p rel i m i n ary an d per m an en t

i n ju n ct i o n s , i n cl u di n g a t em p o rary res t r a i n i n g o rd er en jo i n i n g t h e d efen d an t s fro m

t ak i n g an y fu rt h er act i o n t o cau s e t h e rem ov al o f t h e h o m e o n th e p ro p ert y

. Th e t ri al

co u rt d en i ed Sm ereczy n sk y ’ s p et i t i o n an d req u es t s fo r rel ief

, f i n d i n g t h at t h e

d efen d an t s p ro p erl y i n t erp ret ed t h e l ocal zo n i n g o rd i n an ce a p p li cab l e at t h e t i m e

Sm ereczy n s k y ap p l i ed fo r h i s p erm i t

, th at t h e zo n i n g o rd i n an ce i s co n s t i t u t i o n al

, an d

t h at t h e am en d ed o rd i n an ce d i d n o t ap p l y t o Sm ereczy n sk y ’ s p erm i t

. Sm ereczy n s ky

t h en fi l ed t h is d irect ap p eal

. It ap p ears , h o wev er, t h at ju ri s d i ct i on m ay be p ro p er in

t h e Su prem e Co u rt

. Th e Su prem e Co u rt h as ex cl u si v e ju ri s d i ct i o n o v er al l cas es i nv o l v i n g

co n st ru ct i o n of t h e Co n s t i t u t io n o f t h e St at e o f Geo rg i a an d o f t h e Un i ted St at es an d

al l cas es i n wh i ch t h e co ns t i t u ti on al i ty o f a l aw, o rd i n an ce, o r co n s t i t u t i o nal p ro v i s i o n

h as b een cal l ed i n t o q u es t i o n

. See Ga. Co ns t

. o f 1 9 83

, A rt

. VI, Sec. VI, Para. II (1 );

At l a n t a In d

ep en den t Sch o o l S

ys t em v. La n e , 2 6 6 G a. 65 7 (1 ) (4 6 9 SE2 d 2 2 ) (1 9 9 6 ). July 08, 2015Ad d i t i o n al l y , T h e Su p rem e Co u rt h as ex cl u s i v e ap p el l at e ju ri s d ict i o n o f al l cas es

i n v o l v i n g ex trao rd in ary rem ed i es , i n cl u d in g m an d am u s

. See G a. Co n s t

. o f 1 98 3

, Art

. VI, Sec. VI, Par. III (5 ); La d z i n s ke v. Al l en , 2 8 0 Ga. 2 6 4 (6 2 6 SE2 d 8 3 ) (2 0 0 6) (cas es

i n v o l v i n g t h e g ran t o r d en i al o f m an dam us are wi t h i n t h e ex cl u s iv e j u ri s d i ct i o n o f t h e

S u p r e m e Co u rt w i t ho u t reg ard t o t h e u nd erl y i n g s u bject m at ter or t h e l eg al i s s u e s

rai s ed ). An d

, t h e Ge org ia Co n s t i t u t i o n g ran t s t h e Su p rem e Co u rt g en eral ap p el l at e ju ri s d i ct i o n o v er “ al l eq u i ty cas es .” Ga. Co n s t

. o f 1 98 3

, Art

. IV, Sec. VI, Par. III (2 ).

“ ‘ Eq u i t y cas es ’ are t h os e i n wh i ch a s u b s t an t i v e is s u e o n ap peal i n v o l v es th e l eg al i t y

o r p ro p ri et y o f eq u it ab l e rel i ef s o u g h t i n t h e su p eri o r co u rt

– wh et h er t h at rel i ef was

g ran t ed o r d en i ed .” Bea u ch amp v. Kn i g h t

, 2 6 1 Ga. 6 0 8

, 6 0 9 (2 ) ( 4 0 9 SE2 d 2 0 8 )
(1 9 9 1). In d eferen ce to t h e Su p rem e Co urt ’ s ju ri s d i c t i o n an d b ecau s e t h i s cas e

i n v o l v es co ns t i t u ti on al ch al l e n g e s t o a l o cal o rd i n an ce, as wel l as a d en i al o f

m an d am u s an d eq u i t ab le rel ief, t h i s ap p eal is o rd ered TRANSFER R E D t o t h e

Su p rem e Co u rt

.

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

. 07/08/2015