# 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 8 A1 92 1 . LUCI OUS L. J OHNSON v . THE STATE.

Lu ci o u s Jo h n so n was co n v i ct ed o f a g g r av at ed as s au l t

, rap e, an d fal s e

i m p ri s o n m en t

, an d we affi rm ed h i s co n v i ct i o n s o n ap p eal

. Jo h n s on v. S t a t e

, 2 3 8 Ga.

Ap p

. 6 7 7 (5 2 0 SE2 d 2 2 1 ) (1 9 9 9 ). J o h ns o n l at er fi l ed a m o t i o n t o v a c a t e a v o id

s en t en ce an d an ex t rao rd i n ary m o t i on fo r n ew t ri al

. Th e t ri al co u rt m erg ed t w o o f h i s

co n vi ct i o n s an d v acat ed h i s sen t en ce as t o o n e co u nt b u t ot h erwi s e d e n i e d t h e

m o ti o n s, an d we ag ai n affi rm ed o n ap p eal

. Jo h n s o n v. S ta t e

, 2 72 Ga. Ap p

. 2 9 4 (6 1 2

SE2 d 2 9) (2 0 0 5 ). J o h n s o n t h en fi l ed an o t her m o t i on t o v acat e a v o id s en t en ce. Th e

t ri al co u rt d en i ed th e m o t i o n

, an d o nce m o re we affi rm ed

, t h i s t i m e i n an u n p u b l i s h ed

o p i n i o n

. Jo hn s o n v. S ta t e , Cas e No . A1 3 A1 4 1 1 (affi rm ed J u ly 1 6 , 2 0 1 3 ). J o h n so n

s u b s eq u en t l y

fi led ad d i t i o n al p ro s e m o t i o ns

, in cl u d i n g a m o t io n fo r an o u t -o f-t i m e

ap p eal an d a m o t io n fo r rel i ef fro m c on v i ct i o ns d u e t o act u al i n n o cen ce. Th e t ri al

co u rt den i ed t h e m o t i o n s o n t h e g ro u n d t h at i t s p ri o r o rd ers were “ r es j u d ica t a as to

t h es e m at t ers .” Jo h n s o n fi l ed an ap p l i cat i o n fo r d i s cret i o n ary ap p eal fro m th i s o rd er,

wh i ch we d i s m i s s ed

, s peci fi cal l y n o t i n g t h at J o h ns o n was n o t en t i t l ed t o an o u t -o ft i m e ap p eal an d t h at a p et i t i o n t o v acat e o r m o d i fy a j u d gm en t o f co n v i ct io n i s n o t an

ap p ro p ri at e rem e d y i n a cri m i n al cas e. Jo h n s o n v. S ta te

, Cas e No

. A1 5 D0 2 2 5

(d i s m i s sed Feb ru ary 2

, 2 01 5 ). J o h n s o n al s o fi l ed a d irect ap p eal fro m t h at t ri al co u rt

o rd er, w h i ch t h i s Co u rt d i sm i s s ed

. Jo h n s o n v. S t a t e

, Cas e N o

. A 1 5 A1 2 1 4 (d i s m i s s ed

Ap ri l 8 , 2 0 1 5).

Back in t h e t ri al co u rt

, J o h n s o n fi l ed n ew p ro s e m o t i o n s

, i n cl u di n g a “ M o t i o n

fo r Ev i den ti ary Heari n g to Dem o n s t rat e Act u al In n ocen ce, “ M o t io n fo r Decl arat o ry

Jud g m en t ,” “ M o ti o n fo r Ap p o i nt m en t of Co u n s el ,” an d “ M o t i o n t o Set -As i d e an d ReJuly 18, 2018En t er J ud g m en t .” Th e t ri al co u rt d en ied t h e m o ti o n s i n a s in g l e ord er o n t h e g ro u n d

t h at i t s p ri o r o rd ers were “ r es j u d i ca t a as to th es e m at t ers .” J o h n s on t h en fi l ed t h i s

d i rect ap p eal

. 1 W e, h o wev er, l ack ju ri s d i ct i o n

.

To t h e ex t en t t h at J o h n s o n s eek s t o s et as i d e h i s co n v i ct i o n s i n h i s “ M o t i o n fo r

Ev i d en t iary Heari n g to D e m onstr a te A c t ua l I nnoc e nc e ” a nd “ M otion f or Ap p o i n t m en t

o f Co u n sel ” fo r t h e ev i d en t i ary h eari n g

, we rei t erat e t h at th e Su p rem e Co u rt h as m ad e

cl ear t h at “ a p et i t io n t o v acat e o r m o di fy a ju d g m en t o f co nv i ct i o n i s n o t an

ap p ro p ri at e re m e d y i n a cri m i n al cas e.” Ha r p er v. S t a te

, 2 8 6 G a. 2 1 6

, 2 1 8 (1 ) (6 8 6

SE2 d 7 8 6) (2 0 0 9). Fu rt h er, an y ap p eal fro m an o rd er d en y i n g s uch a m o t i o n m u s t b e

d i s m i s s ed

. See id

. at 2 1 8 (2 ); s ee al s o Ro b er t s v. S t a t e

, 2 8 6 Ga. 5 3 2

, 5 3 2 (6 9 0 SE2 d

1 5 0 ) (2 0 1 0 ). In t h es e m o t i o n s

, J o h n s o n ag ai n s eek s to h av e h i s co n v ict i o n s s et as i d e

an d co u n s el fo r a h eari n g o n h i s m o t i o n to hav e hi s co n vi ct i o n s s et as i d e. J o h n so n

i s n o t au th o ri zed t o co l lat eral l y at t ack h i s c o n v i ct i o n s in t h i s m an ner an d t h e t ri al

co u rt i s n o t au t h ori zed t o s et h i s co n vi ct i on s as i d e. See S t a t e v. Gr een

, 3 0 8 Ga. Ap p.

3 3

, 3 4 -3 5 (1 ) (7 0 6 SE2 d 7 2 0 ) (2 0 1 1) (rev ers i n g g ran t o f d efen d an t’ s m ot i o n to v acat e

co n vi ct i o n b ecau s e m o t io n “ sh o u l d h av e b een d i s m i s sed ”).

As fo r Jo h n so n ’ s “ M o t io n fo r Decl arat o ry J u dg m en t

, ” t h e den i al o f t h i s m o t i o n

i s m o o t. An ap p eal o f an i ss u e t h at h as b eco m e m o o t i s s u b ject t o d i s m i s s al

. See

OCGA § 5 -6 -4 8 (b ) (3 ). “ A n ap p eal b eco m es m o o t i f t h e ri g h t s i ns i s t ed u p o n co u ld

n o t be en fo rced b y a ju d i ci al det erm i n at i o n .” R a n d o l p h Co u n t y v. Jo h n s o n

, 2 8 2 Ga.

1 6 0

, 1 6 0 (1 ) (6 46 SE2 d 2 6 1 ) (2 0 0 7 ). Here, J o h n so n has n o ri g h t t o fi l e a d ecl arat o ry

ju d g m en t act i o n b ecau s e “ a s u i t fo r d ecl arat o ry ju d g m en t can n o t b e m ai n t ai n ed b y a

p ers o n accu sed of [a] cri m e wh ere th e al l eg ed cri m i n al co n d u ct h as al read y t ak en

p l ace.” Ro s s v. S t at e

, 2 3 8 Ga. 4 4 5

, 4 4 5 (2 33 SE2 d 38 1 ) (1 9 7 7 ). Th us

, an y ru l i n g by

t h i s Co u rt wo u l d h av e n o p ract i cal effect

. Acco rd in g l y

, J o h ns o n ’s a p p e a l o f t h e

d en ial o f h is d ecl arat ory

ju d g m en t m o t i o n i s m o ot an d s u b j ect t o d i s m i s s al

.

Fi n al l y

, t h e d en ial o f J o h n s o n ’ s o n e-p ag e “ M o ti o n t o Set -As i d e an d Re-En t er

1 J o h n s o n fi l ed h i s ap p eal i n t h e Su p rem e Co u rt

, wh ich t ran s ferred t h e cas e to

t h i s Co u rt . See Cas e No . S1 8 A1 0 4 1 (t ran s ferred M ay 7 , 2 0 1 8).J u d g m en t ” i s al s o m o o t. In hi s m o t i o n

, J o h n s o n s ou g h t t o s et as i d e an d reen t er o rd ers

o n h i s m o t i o n s p e n d i n g b efo re t he t ri al co urt

. It ap p ears t hat J o h n s o n fi l ed t h i s

m o ti o n becau s e h e h ad n ot recei v ed an y ord ers o n h is p en d i n g m o ti o n s a n d w as

u n s u re w h et h er t h e t ri al co urt h ad i n fact ru l ed on t h e m o t i o n s

. H o wev er, t h e o rd ers

J o h n s o n s o u g h t t o s et as i de an d reen t er w ere ord ers t h at were n o t y et ren d ered o r

en t ered

. Th e tr ial co u rt ru led o n t h e m o t io n s an d t h at o rd er i s t h e s ub ject o f t h i s

ap p eal . Th u s , t h e d en i al o f t h i s m o t i on i s m o o t an d s u b ject t o d i sm i s sal . See Dea n

v. Ci t y o f Jes u p

, 2 49 G a. Ap p

. 62 3

, 6 2 4 (2 ) (5 4 9 SE2 d 4 6 6) (2 0 0 1) (If “ rev ers al o f a

t ri al co u rt ’ s j u d gm en t i s o f n o p ract i cal b en efi t t o t he p art i es

, an y i s s u e s r ai s ed o n

ap p eal are ren d ered m o o t .”)

Fo r t h es e reas on s , t h i s ap p eal i s h ereb y DISM ISSED fo r l ack o f ju ri s d i ct i o n

.

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 f y 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 t n e s s m y s ig n a t u r e a n d t h 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

. 07/18/2018