# 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 A1 13 7 . TERRY PAUL BURTON v

. THE STATE.

In 2 0 0 9

, Terry Bu rt o n p led g u i l t y t o k i d nap pi ng , an d t he tri al co urt i m p o s ed a

t wen t y -y ear s en t en ce, wi t h th e fi rs t t en y ears t o b e s erv ed i n p ri s o n , an d t h e rem ai n d er

t o b e s erv ed o n p ro bat i o n

. In 2 0 1 6

, Bu rt o n fi l ed a “ Pet i t i o n fo r Man d am u s ,” i n wh i ch

h e rai s ed v ari o u s ch al l en g es t o h i s co n v ict i o n an d s en t en ce. Th e tri al co u rt d e n i ed

Bu rt o n ’ s p et it i on , an d h e fi l ed t h i s d i rect ap p eal . W e l ack ju ri s d i ct i o n.

A t ri al co u rt o rd er refu si n g t o g ran t m an d am u s rel i ef o rd i nari ly i s d i rect l y

ap p eal ab l e. See OCGA § 5-6 -3 4 (a) ( 7 )

. H e r e, h o wev er, wh i l e s t y led as a p et i t i o n

fo r a wri t o f m an d am

u s , Bu rt on ’ s p et i ti o n is

, i n su b s t an ce, a m o t i o n t o v acat e a v o id

co n vi ct i o n an d / o r s en t en ce. See Pl a n et In s

. Co

. v. Fer r el l

, 2 2 8 G a

. Ap p

. 2 6 4

, 2 6 6

( 4 9 1 S E2 d 47 1 ) (1 99 7 ) (“ [P] l ead i n g s , m o t i on s an d o rd ers are t o b e co n s t ru e d

acco rd i n g t o t h ei r s u bs t an ce an d fu n ct i o n an d n o t m erel y as t o t h ei r

n o m en cl at u re. . . .”).

To t h e ex t en t t h at Bu rt o n s eek s t o ch al l en ge h i s co n v i ct i o n, “ a pet i t i o n to

v acat e o r m o d i fy a ju d g m en t o f co n v i ct i o n i s n o t an ap pro p ri at e rem ed y i n a cri m i n al

cas e,” Ha r

p er v. S t a t e , 2 8 6 Ga. 2 1 6

, 2 1 8 (1 ) (6 8 6 SE2 d 7 8 6 ) (2 0 0 9 ), an d an y ap p eal

fro m an o rd er d en y i n g o r di sm i s s i n g s u ch a m o t i o n m u s t b e d i s m is sed

, see i d

. at 2 1 8

(2 ); s ee al s o Ro b er t

s v. S t a te

, 28 6 Ga. 5 3 2

, 5 3 2 (6 9 0 SE2 d 1 5 0 ) (2 0 1 0 ). To t he ex t en t

t h at Bu rt on s eek s t o ch al l en ge t h e v al i d i t y o f h i s s e n t e n ce, a d i rect ap p eal m ay l i e

fro m an o rd er d en y i n g a m o t i o n to v acat e o r co rrect a v o i d s en t en ce o n l y i f t h e

d efen d an t rai s es a co l o rab le cl ai m t h at t h e sen t en ce i s, i n fact

, vo i d

. See Ha r p er , 2 8 6

Ga. at 2 1 7 n

. 1 ; Bu r

g v. S t a t e , 2 9 7 G a. Ap p

. 1 1 8

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

“ M ot i o ns t o v a c at 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 April 20, 2017as s u m in g t h e ex i s t en ce an d v al i d i t y o f th e co n v i ct i o n fo r wh i ch t he s en t en ce was

i m p o s ed

– t h e l aw d o es no t au t h o ri ze t h at s en t en ce, m o st t y p ical l y b ecau s e i t ex ceed s

t h e m o st s ev ere p u n i sh m en t fo r wh i ch t he ap p l i cab l e p en al s tat u t e p ro v id es .” vo n

Th o ma s v. S t at e , 2 9 3 Ga. 5 6 9

, 5 7 2 (2 ) (7 4 8 SE2 d 4 46 ) (2 0 1 3 ). W hen a s en t en ce i s

wi t h i n t h e s t at u t ory ran g e o f p u n i s h m en t

, i t i s n o t v o i d

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

6 7 0 (6 0 4 SE2 d 4 8 3 ) (2 0 04 ). Here, Bu rt on h as n o t rai s ed a co l o rab l e c l a i m t h at h i s

s en t en ce i s vo i d

, as h i s ch al len g es t o hi s s en t en ce are p r e m i s e d e n t i rel y o n h i s

ch al l en g es t o t h e v al id i t y o f h i s co n v i ct i o n

. Co n seq u en t l y , we l ack ju ri s d i ct i o n t o co n s id er t h i s ap peal

, w h i ch 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 th 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

. 04/20/2017