SECOND DI VI SI ON

M I LLER, P. J.

, HODGES and PI PKI N, JJ.

N O T IC E : M otions for r e c ons i de r a tion m us t be

ph y sic a l ly r e ce iv ed i n our c le r k ’s offic e w ithin te n

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C O U R T. A LL FILIN G S M U ST B E S U B M I TTE D WITH IN

TH E TIM E S S E T B Y

O U R C O U R T R U LE S

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Decem ber 28, 2021



# I n th e Co u r t o f

A p p eals o f

G eo r g ia

A2 1 A1 58 3 . BOW SER v

. THE STATE.

H O D G E S , J u d g e.

In t h i s p ro s e ap peal

, w e are as k ed t o rev i ew an ord er o f t h e Su peri o r Co u rt o f

Co b b Co u n t y d en y i n g Carl o s Bo ws er’ s “ m o t i o n t o h av e h i s ap peal ri g h t s gran t ed .”

Fo r t h e reas o n s th at fo ll o w, h o wev er, we co ncl u d e t h at Bo ws er’ s m o t i o n was a l eg al

n u l l i ty

. T h erefo re, we vacat e t h e t ri al co u rt ’ s o rd er d en y i n g th e m ot i o n an d rem an d

t h i s cas e wi t h di rect i o n fo r t h e t ri al co u rt t o d i s m i ss Bo ws er’ s m o ti o n

.

Th e reco rd i n di cat es th at Bo ws er ab s co n d ed d u ri n g h i s Feb ru ary 20 1 1 ju ry t ri a l

fo r o n e co u n t o f p o s s es s i o n w i t h i n t en t to d i s t ri b u t e m ari ju an a. Th e ju ry ret u rn ed a

g u i l t y verd i ct

, an d t he t ri al co u rt en t ered a ju d g m en t o f co n v i ct i on ag ai n s t Bo ws er an d

s en t en ced h i m i n ab s en ti a. Bo ws er res urfaced an d was t ak en i n t o cu s t o d y in

No v em b er 2 0 1 5

, aft er wh i ch h e o b t ai n ed co u n s el an d fi l ed an ex t rao rd i n ary m o t i o nfo r new t ri al

, i n wh i ch h e al l eg ed t h at h is “ c o n s t i t u t i o n al ri g h t s t o d ue p ro ces s

. . .

were v i o l at ed ” an d t h at t h e ev i d en ce was in s u ffi ci en t to s u p p o rt hi s co nv i ct i o n

. Pri o r

t o a h eari n g o n Bo ws er’ s m o t i o n , h o wev er, h i s co u n s el wi t h d rew t h e m o t i o n

. 1

W h i l e s t i l l rep res en t ed

, Bo ws er fi l ed a p ro s e m o t i o n t o d i s m i s s h i s co u n s el

.

Th e reco rd d o es n o t co n t ai n a p et i t i o n t o wi t h d raw b y Bo ws er’ s co u n s e l

, a n o rd er

p erm i t t in g Bo ws er’ s co u n s el to wi th d raw, or an ord er ad ju d i cat i n g Bo ws er’ s m o t i o n.

Bo ws er t h en fi l ed a p ro s e “ m ot i o n t o h av e h i s ap p eal ri g h t s gran t ed ” i n wh i ch h e

as s ert s h e h as “ t he ri gh ts t o ap p eal h i s co n v i ct i o n [.] ” Th e t ri al co u rt d en i ed Bo ws er’ s

m o ti o n

, 2 an d t hi s ap p eal fo l l o wed

.

At t h e o ut s et

, Bo ws er’ s op en i n g b ri ef s u ffers fro m n u m ero u s v io l at i o n s o f t h i s

Co u rt ’ s ru les

. Mo s t g l ari n g l y

, Bo ws er fai l ed t o l i st an y en um erat io n s o f erro r. See

Co u rt o f A p p eal s Ru le 2 5 (a) (2 ) (“ Th e b ri ef of ap p el l an t s h al l co n s i s t o f t hree p art s

. . . [i n cl u d i n g ] t h e en u m erat i on o f erro rs

. . . .”) (em p h as i s s u pp l i ed ); s ee al s o OCGA

§ 5 -6 -4 0 (“ Th e ap p el l an t

. . . s ha l l fi l e wi t h t he cl erk o f t h e ap p e l l a t e c o u r t

, at s u ch

1 A c c o r d i n g ly

, t h e q u es t i o n o f wh et her Bo w s er is ev en en t i t l ed t o fi l e an

ex t rao rd i n ary m o t i o n fo r n ew t ri a l f ollow ing his a

b sc o n d en ce, i rres p ect i v e o f t h e l ev el

o f m eri t o f an y

l eg al arg u m en t co n t ai n ed i n s u ch a m o t i on , i s n o t b efo re u s.

2 In i t s o rd er, t h e t ri al co urt s t at ed t h at i t h ad “ n o in vo l vem en t wi t h [Bo ws er’ s ]

ap p el l at e ri g h t s

, as t ho s e ri g h ts are co n ferred an d al read y v es t ed i n [Bo ws er] b y v i rt u e

o f t h e ex i s ti n g l aws o f t hi s St at e.”

2t i m e as m ay b e p r e s cri b ed b y i t s ru l es

, an en um erat i o n of t h e erro rs wh i ch s h al l s et

o u t s ep arat el y each erro r rel i ed u p o n .”) (em p h as i s su p pl i ed ). M o reo v er, t he b ri ef d o es

n o t co nt ai n

a s u cci n ct an d accu rat e s t at em en t o f t he p ro ceed i n g s b el o w an d th e

m at eri al fact s rel ev an t to t h e ap p eal ; a ci t at io n o f t h e p art s o f t h e reco rd

o r t ran s cri p t es s en t i al t o a co n s i d erat i on o f t h e erro rs ;

. . . a st at em en t o f

t h e m et h o d b y w h ich each en u m erat i o n of erro r was p re s e r v e d f o r

co n s i d erat i o n [; ]

. . . a s t at em en t o f ju ri s di ct io n as t o w h y t h i s Co u rt

, an d

n o t t h e Su p rem e Co u rt

, has j u ri s d i ct i o n [; ]

. . . arg u m en t an d ci t at i o n o f

au t h ori t i es [; ]

. . . [an d ] a co n ci s e s t at em en t o f th e ap p li cab l e st an d ard o f

rev i ew wi th s u p p ort in g au t h o ri ty fo r each i s s u e p res en ted i n t h e b ri ef.

Co u rt o f Ap p eal s Ru l e 2 5 (a). As we h av e n o t ed

,

t h e ru l es o f th i s co urt are n o t i n ten d ed to p ro v i d e an o b s t acl e fo r th e

u n wary o r t h e p ro s e ap p el l an t

. B r i e fs t h at d o n o t co n fo rm t o t he ru l es

reg ard i n g en u m e r a t i o ns o f erro r, s tru ct u re o f b ri efs

, arg u m en t, o r

ci t at io n o f au th ori ti es

, as [Bo ws er’s ] f a i l s t o d o, are n o t m erel y an

i n co nv en ien ce o r g ro u n d s fo r refu si ng t o co ns i d er a p art y ’ s co nt en t i o ns

.

Su ch b ri efs h i n d er t h is co u rt i n d et erm i n i n g t h e s u b st an ce an d b as i s o f

an ap p el l an t ’ s co n t en t i on s b o t h in fact an d i n l aw an d m ay wel l

p reju d i c e an ap p el l an t ’ s ap p eal reg ard l es s o f t h e am o u n t o f len i en cy

s h o wn

. Nev ert h el es s

, we wi l l ad d res s [Bo ws er’ s ] arg u m en t s

, i n s o far as

we are ab l e t o as cert ai n t h em fro m h i s b ri ef.

3(Ci t at i o n an d p u n ct uat i o n o m i t t ed .) An der s o n v. S t a t e

, 3 3 5 Ga. Ap p

. 7 8

, 80 (2 ) (7 7 8

SE2 d 82 6 ) (2 0 1 5 ); Fl emi ng v. Ad va n ced S t o r es Co

. , 30 1 Ga. A p p

. 7 3 4

, 7 3 5 (6 8 8

SE2 d 4 14 ) (2 0 0 9 ) (“ W e reco g n i ze t h at [Bo ws er] i s act i n g p ro s e; n ev ert h el es s

, ‘ t h at

s t at u s d o es n o t rel i ev e h i m o f t h e o b l i g at i o n t o co m p l y wi t h t h e s ub s tan t i v e an d

p ro ced ural req u irem en ts o f t h e l aw, i n cl u di n g t h e ru l es o f t h i s Co u rt .’ ”) (ci t at i o n an d

p u n ct u at i o n o m it t ed ).

Co n st ru ed l i b eral l y

, Bo ws er’ s bri ef fo cu s es u p o n t h e al leg ed i n s u ffi ci en cy o f

t h e ev i d en ce an d h i s d i s s at i s fact i o n wi t h h is co u n s el ’ s d i s m is s al o f h is ex t rao rd i n ary

m o ti o n fo r n ew t ri al . Ho wev er, we d o n o t reach Bo ws er’ s arg u m en t s

.

It i s wel l s et t l ed th at “ [a] cri m i n al d efen d an t i n Geo rg i a do es n o t h av e t h e ri g ht

t o r e p r e s e n t h i m sel f an d al s o b e rep res en t ed b y an at t o rn ey

, an d p ro s e fi l i n g s by

rep res e n t e d p a rt i es are t h erefo re u n au t h o ri zed an d wi t h o u t effect .” (Ci tat i o n an d

p u n ct u at i o n o m i t t ed .) To l ber t v. To o l e

, 2 9 6 Ga. 3 5 7, 36 3 (3 ) (7 6 7 SE2 d 2 4 ) (2 0 1 4 ).

M o re o v e r

, w h en t h ere h as b een a req u es t fo r co u n s el t o wi t h d raw, “ [a] fo rm al

wi t h d rawal o f co un s el can no t b e ac c o m p l i s h e d u n t i l aft er t h e t ri al co u rt i s s u es an

o rd er p erm i t ti n g t h e wi t h d rawal

. Un t i l s uch an o rd er p ro p erl y is m ad e an d en t ered

,

n o fo rm al w i t h d rawal can o ccu r an d co u n s el rem ai n s co u n s el o f reco rd .” (Ci t a t i o n

an d p u n ct u at i o n o m i t t ed .) Id

. at 3 6 2 (3 ). A s a res u l t

, pro se fi l i n g s w h i l e a c r i m i n al

4d efen d an t i s rep res en t ed b y co u n s el are l eg al n u l li t i es

. See, e.g

., Nel so n v. S ta t e

, 3 5 6

Ga. Ap p . 4 4 9 , 4 5 0 (2 ) (a) (8 4 7 SE2 d 6 3 2 ) (2 0 2 0 ).

In t h i s cas e, Bo ws er o b t ai n ed co u n s el fo l lo wi n g h i s ret u rn t o cu s t o d y

. Co u n s el

i n i t i al l y fi l ed an en t ry o f ap p earan ce an d

, u l t i m at el y

, an ex t rao rd i n ary m o t i o n fo r n ew

t ri al

. Bo ws er’ s co u ns el l at er wi t h d rew th e m o ti o n

, an d Bo ws er th en fi l ed a p ro s e

m o ti o n t o d i s m i ss h i s c o u n s e l

, fo l l o wed b y h i s p ro s e “ m o t io n to h av e hi s ap p eal

ri gh t s g ran t ed .” Ho wev er, Bo ws er’ s co u n s el n ev er req u es ted t he t r i a l co urt ’ s

au t h o ri zat i o n to wi t h d raw fro m Bo ws er’ s rep re s en t at io n

, an d t h e t ri al co u rt n ev er

e n t ered an o rd er p erm i t t i n g co u n s el t o wi t h d raw. It fo ll o ws t h at Bo ws er was s t i l l

rep res en t ed by co u n sel an d t h at h i s “ m o t i o n to h av e hi s ap p e a l ri g ht s gran t ed ,” in

t u rn

, w as a l eg al n u l l i t y

. Acco rd i n g ly

, rat h er t h an d eci d e Bo ws er’ s i m p ro p er m o t i o n

o n i t s r e l a t i v e m eri t s

, t h e t ri al co u rt s h o u l d h av e d is m i s s ed t h e m o ti o n

. See, e.g

.,

Br o oks v. St a t e

, 3 0 1 Ga. 74 8

, 7 5 2 (2 ) ( 8 0 4 S E 2 d 1 ) (2 01 7 ) (“ wh en a t ri al co u rt i s

p res en t ed wi t h a m o t io n i t lack s ju ri s d i ct i o n t o d eci d e, th e t ri al co u rt s h o u l d d i s m i ss

t h e m o t i o n rat h er t h an d en y i t”); Nel s o n , 3 5 6 Ga. Ap p . at 4 5 0 (2 ) (a).

In s u m

, w e co ncl u d e th at Bo ws er’ s “ m o ti o n t o h av e h i s ap p eal ri g h t s g ran t ed ”

was a l e g al n u l li t y

. Th erefo re, we v acat e t h e t ri al co u rt ’ s o rd er den y i n g Bo ws er’ s

m o ti o n an d rem an d t h i s cas e wi t h d i rect i o n fo r t h e t ri al co u rt t o d i sm i s s t h e m o t i o n.

5Ju d

g men t va ca t ed a n d ca s e r ema nd ed wi t h d i r ect i o n

. Mi l l er

, P. J., an d Pi

p ki n,

J., co n cu r

.

6