Court Opinion

ID: 9619217
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-22 05:24:07.211229+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:04:39.100114
License: Public Domain

Blackburn, Presiding Judge,
concurring specially.
I concur fully in the analysis and judgment in this case. I write separately to make the point that this Court depends upon the parties involved to provide support in the record and in the law for their *162respective positions on appeal. The majority properly affirms the trial court’s grant of Bowen’s motion to suppress certain test results, based upon the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s failure to publish its procedures for granting permits for the administration of breath, blood, and urine tests, holding that such failure was a violation of the Administrative Procedure Act, as outlined in the majority opinion.
The majority also seeks to overrule this Court’s opinion in State v. Corriher, 243 Ga. App. 648 (533 SE2d 800) (2000), which case had not been decided by this Court at the time of the trial court’s ruling in Bowen. Corriher reached the opposite result on the same issue, without benefit of input from Corriher.
Here, Bowen argues that the GBI’s treatment of similar permitting requirements under the DUI law, which continue to be published, logically supports his contention that such permitting requirements under BUI law should also be published, given the similarity of the charges and procedures involved. See OCGA § 40-6-392 (a). I point out that the GBI’s own actions in continuing to publish the permitting requirements under DUI law, while contending it has no duty to publish such requirements under BUI law is self-defeating. OCGA § 35-3-155 provides a general exception to the application of the APA. Its language gives no basis for concluding that it was intended to be applied differently to two such similar circumstances. It logically applies either to both or to neither. This argument provides a strong basis for determining the proper interpretation of OCGA § 35-3-155.
We note that the State’s position was unopposed in Corriher, and thus this argument was not presented to this Court in that case. While reasonable minds can disagree as to the interpretation of the subject statutes, Bowen’s argument is the most compelling. Thus, I agree with the majority’s determination that Corriher should be overruled.
I am authorized to state that Judge Ruffin joins in this special concurrence.