Opinion
A22A1405
05-23-2022
KENNETH RAY JOHNSON v. THE STATE.
The Court of Appeals hereby passes the following order:
Following a jury trial, Kenneth Ray Johnson was convicted of aggravated assault and terroristic threats. Following the denial of his motion for new trial, Johnson appealed to this Court. We affirmed his convictions. Johnson v. State, 326 Ga.App. 220 (756 S.E.2d 303) (2014). Johnson later filed an extraordinary motion for new trial, which the trial court denied on February 8, 2022. Johnson then filed this direct appeal. We, however, lack jurisdiction.
As an initial matter, an order denying an extraordinary motion for new trial must be appealed by discretionary application. See OCGA § 5-6-35 (a) (7); Balkcom v. State, 227 Ga.App. 327, 329 (489 S.E.2d 129) (1997). "Compliance with the discretionary appeals procedure is jurisdictional." Hair Restoration Specialists v. State of Ga., 360 Ga.App. 901, 903 (862 S.E.2d 564) (2021) (punctuation omitted). Johnson's failure to follow the proper procedure deprives us of jurisdiction over this appeal.
But even if Johnson was entitled to a direct appeal from the denial of his extraordinary motion for new trial, his direct appeal is also untimely. A notice of appeal must be filed within 30 days of the entry of an appealable judgment. OCGA § 5-6-38 (a). The proper and timely filing of a notice of appeal is an absolute requirement to confer appellate jurisdiction on this Court. Rowland v. State, 264 Ga. 872, 872 (1) (452 S.E.2d 756) (1995). Johnson's notice of appeal was filed on March 23, 2022, 43 days after entry of the order sought to be appealed.
For these reasons, we lack jurisdiction over this appeal, which is hereby DISMISSED.