# 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 :

A2 1 A0 60 7

. HEATHER W RYE v

. NATI ONAL C OLLEGI ATE STUDENT

LOAN TRUST 2 0 0 5 -2 et a l

.

H e at h er W ry e fi l ed th i s ap p eal p u rs u an t t o OCGA § 3 8-3 -6 4

, s ee k i n g t o

ch al l e nge t h e co n s t i t ut io n al ap p l i cat i o n o f t h e j u d ici al em erg en cy o rd ers i s s u ed b y t h e

Geo rg i a S u p r e m e Co u rt p u rs u an t t o OCGA § 3 8-3 -6 1 1 i n t h is g arn i s h m en t act i o n.

Sp eci fi cal l y

, W ry e co n t en d s th at h er ri g h t s h av e b een ad v ers el y affect ed b ecau s e t h e

s t ay o rd ers u n l awfu l l y ex p an ded t h e t ri al co u rt ’ s i n rem s u b ject -m at t er ju ri sd i ct i o n to

reach an d i n cl u d e wag es earn ed o u t si d e t he p eri o d of garn i s h m en t es t ab l i s h ed by

OCGA § 1 8 -4 -4 ( c ) ( p r o vi d i n g th at i n a co n t in u i ng g arn i s h m en t act i o n

, t h e

g arn i s h m en t p eri o d s h al l b eg in o n th e d ay o f s erv ice o f t h e s u m m o n s o f g arn i s h m en t

an d s h al l i n cl u d e t h e n ex t 1 7 9 d ay s ). 2 Ho wev er, we co n cl u de th at t h i s ap peal s h o u ld

b e t ran s ferred t o t h e Geo rg i a Su p rem e Co u rt , wh i ch h as ex cl u s i v e ju ri sd i ct i o n o v er

“ [a] l l cas es i n v o lv i n g t he co n s tru ct io n of

. . . t h e Co n s t i t u t i o n o f t he St at e o f Geo rg i a

o r o f t h e Un i t ed St at es an d al l cas es i n wh i ch t h e co ns t i t u t i o n al i t y of a l aw, o rd i n an ce,

o r co n st i t u t i o n al p ro v i s i o n h as b een drawn i n q u es t i o n.” Ga. Co ns t

. o f 1 9 8 3

, Art

. VI,

Sec. VI, Par. II (1 ); s ee al

s o At l an t a In d

ep en den t S

ch o o l S ys t em v. La ne

, 2 6 6 Ga. 6 5 7,

1 S ee Ch ief Justic e M e lton’ s S upr e m e C o u rt Ord er Decl ari n g St at ewi de J u d i ci al

Em erg en cy (M ar. 1 4

, 2 0 2 0 ), as ex ten d ed on Ap ri l 6, May 1 1

, an d J un e 1 2, 20 2 0

, an d

as ex t en d ed i n p art o n J ul y 1 0

, Au g us t 6

, an d Sep t em b er 1 0

, 2 0 20

, av ai l ab le at

www.g as u p rem e.u s

.

2 Effect i v e Jan uary 1

, 2 0 2 1

, t h e g arn i sh m en t p eri o d wi l l be ex t en d ed t o 1 ,0 9 5

d ay s

. November 09, 20206 5 7 (1 ) (4 6 9 SE2 d 2 2) (1 99 6 ).

Th e Geo rg i a Co u rt o f Ap p eal s h as o nl y “ l i m i ted ju ri s di ct i o n t o rev i ew

co n st i t u t io n al q u es t i o n s ,” w h i c h ari s es wh en t h e fact s of t h e cas e “ d o n ot i n v o l v e

co n st ru ct i o n of s o m e co n s ti tu t i o n al p ro vi s i o n d i rect l y in q u es ti o n an d d o ub t fu l ei t h er

u n d er i ts o wn t erm s o r u n d er t he deci s i on s o f th e Su p rem e Co u rt o f Geo rg i a o r t h e

Su p rem e Co u rt o f t he U n it ed St at es .” S ta t e v. Da vi s

, 3 0 3 Ga. 6 8 4

, 6 8 7 -6 8 8 (1 ) (8 1 4

SE2 d 7 0 1 ) (2 0 1 8 ) (p u n ct u ation om it ted ). Th e i ns t an t ap p eal in v o l v es th e co ns t ru ct i o n

o f t h e g arn i s h m en t s t at u t es an d h o w t h e s t at u t es s h ou l d b e co ns t ru ed i n t h e co n t ex t

o f c o m p o rt i n g wi t h t h e Su prem e Co u rt ’ s ju d i ci al em erg en cy ord ers

, wh i c h

,

u n s u rp ri s i n g l y

, h as n o t p rev i o u s l y b een ad d res s ed in t h is St at e. S ee i d

. (h o l d i n g t h at

t h e Geo rg i a Su p rem e C o u rt had ju ri s d i ct i o n o v er a “ co n s ti t ut i o n al q u es t i o n o f fi rs t

i m p res s i o n ,” wh en t h e co ns t it u t i o n al p ro v i s i on i n q ues t i o n wi th res p ec t t o s ex

o ffen d er reg i s t rat i o n had no t prev i o u s l y b een ad d res s ed ); S ta t e Dep t

. o f Co r r ect i on s

v. Devel o p er s Su r

. & In dem. Co

. , 2 9 5 Ga. 7 4 1, 7 4 2 n

. 2 (7 6 3 SE2 d 8 6 8 ) (2 01 4 ) (“ An

ap p eal req u i ri n g a fi rs t i m p res s i o n co ns t ru ct i o n o f t h e s o verei gn i m m u n i t y p ro v i s i o n

o f th e Geo rg i a Co n s t i t u t io n i s wi t h in [t he Geo rg i a Su p r e m e] Co u rt ’ s ex cl u s i v e

ap p el l at e ju ri s d i ct i o n .”). In d eed

, i m p l i ci t i n W ry e’ s ap peal i s t h e co n t en t i o n t h at t h e

Su p r em e Co u rt ’ s ju d i ci al em erg en cy o rd ers can no t t o l l t h e g arn i s hm en t p eri o d

p ro v id ed i n OCGA § 1 8 -4 -4 (c).

Co n seq u en t l y

, i t ap p ears t h at j u ri s d ict i on o v er t he i n s tan t ap p eal s l i es i n t h e

Geo rg i a Su p rem e Co urt

. W h il e we ack n o wl ed g e t hat t he q u es t io n o f ap p el l at e

ju ri s d i ct i o n i s s u b

ject t o d ifferi n g reas o nab l e co n cl u s i on s

, we n o t e th at th e Su p rem e

Co u rt h as “ t he u l t i m at e res p on s i b i l i t y fo r co n s t ru i n g t h e co ns t i t u t i o n al p ro v i s i on s

reg ard i n g ap p el l at e ju ri s d ict i o n .” Sa xt o n v. Co a st al Di a l ys is & M ed

. Cl in i c

, 2 6 7 Ga.

1 7 7

, 1 7 8 (4 7 6 SE2 d 5 8 7) (1 9 9 6 ). We a l s o ack no wl ed g e t h at OCGA § 38 -3 -6 4 (c)

p ro v id es i n p ert i n en t p art t h at an ap p eal o f an o rd er decl ari n g t h e ex i s t en ce of a

ju d i ci al e m erg en cy “ s h al l b e heard i m m ed i at el y b y t h e Geo rg i a Co u rt o f Ap p eal s

u n d er t h e p ro ced ure o f em erg en cy m o t i o n s.” Nev ert h el es s

, we h av e rev iewed t h i s

ap p eal i n an ex p ed i t ed m an n er, an d n o t e t h at ev en if O C G A § 3 8-3 -6 4 (c) an d t h e

p ro v is i o n o f t h e Geo rg i a Co n s t i t u t i o n reg ard i n g ap p el lat e ju ri s d i ct i o n o v erco n st i t u t io n al qu es t i o n s are i n co n fl i ct

, t h e lat t er w o u l d co nt ro l

. See MARTA v. Bu h o

,

3 5 3 G a. Ap p

. 4 6 6

, 4 68 (8 3 8 SE2 d 1 3 0 ) (2 0 2 0 ) (t o t h e ex t en t a s t a t u t o r y ru l e

co n trad i c t s a co n s t i t u t i o n al ru l e, t h e co n s t i t ut i o n al ru l e prev ai l s ). Here, t h e

co n st i t u t io n al i ty reg ard i ng th e Su p rem e Co u rt ’ s ju d i ci al em erg en cy o rd ers ’ ab i l i t y to

t o l l t h e t i m e p eri o d p ro v i d ed i n OCGA § 1 8 -4 -4 (c) has b een b ro u gh t i nt o q u es t i o n,

an d ju ri s d i ct i o n t h erefo re ap p ears t o b e p ro p er i n t h e Geo rg i a Su p rem e Co u rt

.

Fo r t h e fo reg oi n g reas on s

, t h i s a p p eal i s hereb y TRANSFERRED t o t h e

Geo rg i a Su p rem e Co u rt fo r d i s p o s i t 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 fy t h a t t h e a b o v e is a tr 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

. 11/09/2020