# 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 7 D0 49 9 . J ERRY MARTI N v . THE STATE.

A ju ry fo u n d J erry Mart i n g u il t y o n on e co u nt each o f a g g r a v at ed s ex u al

b at t ery , ag g rav at ed ch i l d m o l es t at i o n , en t i ci n g a c h i l d fo r in d ecen t p urp o s es , an d

ch i l d m o l es tat i o n

. 1 Hi s ju dg m en t o f co n v i ct i o n was affi rm e d i n an u n p u b l i s h ed

o p i n i o n

. See Ma r ti n v. S t a t e , Cas e No

. A0 7A0 27 4

, d eci d ed M ay 2 2, 2 0 0 7. 2 M art in

recen t l y fi l ed t w o p ro s e m o t i o n s , o n e s eek i n g t o s et as i d e h i s ju d g m en t o f co n v i ct i o n

an d an ot h er t o recu s e t h e t ri al ju d g e. On M ay 17

, 2 0 1 7, th e t ri al co u rt en t ered o rd ers

d en y i n g t h e m o ti o n s

. M art i n fi l ed t h i s a p p l i cat i o n fo r d is cret i o nary ap p eal

. W e,

h o wev er, l ack ju ri s di ct i o n.

As t h e Geo rg i a Su p rem e Co u rt h as m ad e cl ear, a m o t io n s eek i ng t o s et as i d e

o r v acat e an al l eg ed l y v o i d cri m i n a l co n v i ct i o n i s n o t o n e o f t h e es t ab l i s h ed

p ro ced ures fo r ch al l en g i n g t h e v al i d i t y o f a j u d g m e n t i n a cri m i nal cas e, an d an

ap p eal fro m t h e t ri al co urt ’ s ru l i n g o n s u ch a m o t i o n s h ou l d b e d i s m i s s ed

. See Ro b er t s

v. St a t e , 2 8 6 G a. 5 3 2 (6 9 0 SE2 d 1 5 0 ) (2 0 10 ). A d irect ap p eal m ay l ie fro m an o rd er

d en y i n g o r d i s m i s s i n g a m o t i o n t o co rrect a v o i d sen t en ce i f t h e d efen d an t r ai s es a

co l o rab l e cl ai m th at t h e s en t en ce i s , i n fact

, vo i d o r i l l eg al

. See Ha r p er v. S t a t e , 2 8 6

1 Th e ag g rav at ed s ex u al b at t e r y, en ti ci ng a ch il d fo r i n d ecen t p urp o s es , an d

ch i l d m o l es t at io n co un t s wer e m e r g ed w it h t h e ag g rav at ed ch il d m o l es t at io n co u nt
fo r p u rp o s es o f s en t en ci n g

.

2 Si n c e t h a t t i m e, M art i n fi l ed a m o ti on t o q uas h i n d i ct m en t ch al l en g i n g h i s ju d g m en t o f co n v i ct io n , wh ich t h e t ri al co u rt d en i ed

. M art i n fi l ed a d i s c r e t i o n ary

ap p li cat io n , wh i ch w as d i s m is s ed

. See Cas e N o

. A1 4 D0 0 5 5

, deci d ed Oct o b er 1 8,

2 0 1 3

. June 29, 2017Ga. 21 6

, n .1 (6 8 6 SE2 d 7 8 6 ) (2 0 0 9 ). Ho w ev er, “ [m ] o t i o n s t o v acat e a v o i d s en t en ce

g en eral l y are l i m i t ed t o cl ai m s t h at

– ev en as s u m in g t h e ex is t en ce an d v al i di t y o f t h e

co n vi ct i o n fo r wh i ch t h e s en t en ce was i m p os ed

– t h e l aw do es n o t au t ho ri ze t h at

s en t en ce, m o st t y

p i cal l y becau se i t ex ceed s t he m o s t s ev ere p u n i s h m en t fo r wh i ch t h e

ap p li cab l e p en al s t at u t e p ro v i d es .” vo n Th o ma s v. S t a t e , 2 9 3 Ga. 56 9

, 5 7 2 (2 ) (7 4 8

SE2 d 4 4 6) (2 0 1 3 ). W h en a s en t en ce i s w i t hi n t h e s t at u t ory ran g e o f p u n is h m en t , i t

i s n o t v o i d

. Jo n es v. S ta t e , 2 7 8 Ga. 6 6 9

, 6 70 (6 0 4 SE2 d 4 8 3 ) (2 0 0 4 ).

M art i n d o es no t arg u e t h at h i s s en t en ce fel l o u t s i d e t h e p er m i s s i b l e st at u t o ry

ran g e; n o r h as h e o t h erwi s e r a i s e d a co l o rab le v oi d -s en t en ce cl ai m

. Co n s eq u en t l y ,

we l ack ju ri s d i ct i on t o co n s i der t h e o rd er d en y i n g M art i n ’ s m o t i o n t o s et as i d e h i s ju d g m en t o f co n v i ct i on

. To t h e ex t en t M art i n s eek s l eav e t o ap p eal t h e d en i al o f h i s m ot i on t o recu s e,

t h e o rd er i s n o w m o o t. A m at t er i s m o o t if a ru l in g wo u l d h av e n o p ract i cal effect o n

t h e al l eg ed co n t ro v ers y

. See Ca r l ock v. Kma r t Co r p

. , 2 2 7 G a. Ap p

. 3 5 6

, 3 6 1 (3 ) (a)

(4 8 9 SE2 d 9 9) (1 9 9 7 ). Gi v en t h at Mart i n h as al read y b een c o n v i ct ed an d h as n o

v al i d

, pen d i n g i ss u e rel at i n g t h eret o , t h e d en i al o f h i s m o t i o n t o recu s e i s m o o t

. H i s

ap p li cat io n i s t h us s u b

j ect t o d i s m i s s al . See OCGA § 5 -6 -4 8 (b ) (3 ).

Fo r t h es e reas o n s , M art i n ’ s ap p l i cat i o n fo r d i s c r e t i o n ary ap peal is 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 is 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 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

. 06/29/2017