# 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 18 7 . FREDRI C K HOLLOW AY, J R. v . THE STATE.

A2 1 A0 18 8 . SAMUEL MATHI S DI XON v

. THE STATE.

A2 1 A0 18 9 . STEPHEN J ACOB HAMMOND v . THE STATE.

A2 1 A0 19 0 . J OSEPH LEE GRI NER v . THE STATE.

A2 1 A0 19 1 . J OHN J AELEN ROGERS v . THE STATE.

Th e defen d an t s in t h es e cas es are cu rren tl y faci ng cri m in al ch arg es

. Th ey h av e

fi led es s en ti al l y i den t i cal ap p eal s o f t h e Au g us t 1 1, 20 2 0 “ Fi ft h Ord e r E x t e n d i n g

Decl arat i o n o f St at ewi d e J u d i ci al Em erg en cy ” i s s u ed b y t h e Ch i ef J u s ti ce o f t h e

Geo rg i a S u p r e m e C o u rt p u rs u an t t o OCGA § 3 8 -3 -6 1

. In t h ei r ap peal s , t h ey cl ai m

t h at t h e ord er’ s s tat e-wi d e s u s p en s i o n o f ju ry t ri al s v i o l at es t h e d u e p ro ces s an d

s p eed y t ri al cl au s es o f th e Co n st i t u t i o n o f t h e St at e o f Geo rg i a an d t h e Co n s t i t u t i o n

o f t h e Un i t ed St at es

. W e co ncl u d e t h at t h es e ap p eal s s h o u l d b e t ran s f e r r ed t o t h e

Geo rg i a Su p rem e Co urt

, wh i ch h as ex cl u si v e ju ri sd i ct i o n o v er “ [a] l l cas es i nv o l v i n g

t h e co n s t ru ct i o n o f

. . . t h e Co n st i t u ti o n o f t h e 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 in wh i ch t h e co n s t i t u ti o n al i t y o f a l aw, o rd i n an ce, o r co ns t i t u t i o n al

p ro v is i o n h as b een d rawn i n q u es t i o n .” Ga. Co ns t

. o f 1 9 83

, Art

. VI, Sec. VI, Par. II

(1 ); s ee al s o At l a nt a In d

ep en d en t S ch o o l Sys t em v. La n e , 2 6 6 Ga. 65 7

, 6 5 7 (1 ) (4 6 9

SE2 d 2 2 ) (1 9 9 6 ).

Th e Geo rg i a Co u rt o f Ap p eal s h a s o n l y “ li 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 ,” wh i ch ari s es “ wh e n t h e fact s o f 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 August 28, 2020SE2 d 7 0 1 ) (2 0 1 8 ) (p u n ct u at i o n o m i t t ed ). It ap p ears t h at t h e i n s t an t ap p eal s i n v o l v e

co n st ru ct i o n o f t he du e p ro ces s an d s peed y t ri al cl au s es o f t h e s t at e an d fed eral

co n st i t u t io n s , as t he q u es t i o n o f h o w t h es e cl au s es s h o u l d b e co n st ru ed i n t h e co n t ex t

o f s u s p en d i n g ju ry t ri al s d u ri n g a pu b l i c h e a l t h em erg en cy h as n ot prev i o u s l y b een

ad d res s ed in t h i s St at e. See i d

. (Geo rg i a Su p re m e C o u r t h ad ju ri s d i ct i o n o v er a

“ co n s t i tu t i on al q u e s t i on o f fi rs t i m p res s i o n,” w h ere t h e co n s t i t u t i on al p ro v i s i o n in

q u es ti o n wi t h res p ect t o sex o ffen d er reg i st rat i o n h ad n o t p rev i ou s ly b een ad d res s ed );

S t a t e Dep t

. o

f Co r r ect io n s v. Devel o

p er s S u r. & In dem. Co

. , 2 9 5 G a. 7 4 1

, 7 4 2 n

. 2

(7 6 3 SE2 d 8 6 8 ) (2 0 1 4 ) (“ An ap p eal req ui ri ng a fi rs t i m p res s io n co ns t ru ct i o n o f t h e

s o v erei g n i m

m u n it y p ro v i s io n o f t he G eo rg i a Co n st i tu t i o n i s wi t h i n [ t h e G e o r g i a

Su p rem e] Co u rt ’ s ex cl u s i v e ap p el lat e ju ri s d i ct io n .”).

Th u s , i t ap pears t hat ju ri s d i c t i o n o v er t h e in s t an 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 i l e we ack n o wl ed g e t h at t h e q u es t i o 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 i fferi ng reas o n ab l e co ncl u s i o n s , w e n o t e t h at th e Su p rem e Co u rt h as “ t h e

u l t i m at e res p o n si bility f

or c onstr uing the c o nstitutiona

l pr ovisions r e ga

r d i n g ap p el l at e ju ri s d i ct i o n .” S

a xt o n v. Co a st a l Di a l

ys i s & M ed

. Cl i n i c , 2 6 7 Ga. 17 7

, 1 7 8 (4 7 6 SE2 d

5 8 7 ) (1 9 9 6 ). W e al so ack no wl ed g e t h at OCGA § 3 8 -3 -6 4 (c) p ro v i d es i n p ert i n en t

p art t h at an ap peal o f an o rd er d ecl ari n g th e ex i s t en ce o f a ju di ci al em erg en cy “ s h al l

b e h eard 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 u re o f

em erg en cy m o t io ns .” Ho wev er, we h av e rev i e w e d t h e s e ap p eal s in an ex p ed i t ed

m an n er, an d ev en i f OCGA § 38 -3 -6 4 (c) an d t h e pro v i si 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 l at e ju ri s d i ct i on o ver co n s ti t ut i o n al q u es ti o n s are in

co n fl i ct

, t h e l at t er wo u l d co n tro l

. See MARTA v. Bu h o , 3 5 3 Ga. Ap p

. 4 6 6, 46 8 (8 3 8

SE2 d 1 30 ) (2 0 2 0 ) (t o t h e ex t en t a s t at u t o ry ru l e co n t rad i ct s a co n s t i t u t i o n al ru l e, t h e

co n st i t u t io n al ru l e p rev ai l s ).Fo r th e fo reg o i n g reas on s , t h es e ap p eal s are 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 t i f y th 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 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

. 08/28/2020