Full Opinion

08/19/2026 IN THE COURT OF CRIMINAL APPEALS OF TENNESSEE AT NASHVILLE STATE OF TENNESSEE v. LAKEESHA N. DIXON-STARNES Criminal Court for Davidson County No. 2024-A-479 ___________________________________ No. M2026-01214-CCA-R10-CO ___________________________________ ORDER This matter is before the Court upon application of the pro se Defendant, Lakeesha N. Dixon-Starnes, for an extraordinary appeal pursuant to Tennessee Rule of Appellate Procedure 10. She asks this Court to dismiss the indictment in this case. It appears the Defendant has been charged with one count each of theft of property and forgery. The Defendant waived her right to counsel and is proceeding on her own in the trial court. The case is still pending in that court. An extraordinary appeal may be granted from an interlocutory order of a trial court if the appellate court determines the trial court “has so far departed from the accepted and usual course of judicial proceedings as to require immediate review” or “if necessary for complete determination of the action on appeal.” Tenn. R. App. P. 10(a). A party must obtain permission from this Court for an extraordinary appeal; it is not a matter of right. Id. To that end, an application for permission to appeal must contain a statement of the question(s) presented for review, a statement of the facts, a statement of the reason(s) supporting an extraordinary appeal, and the relief sought. Tenn. R. App. P. 10(c). Furthermore, the application must contain a copy of the trial court order from which an appeal is being sought, as well as copies of other parts of the record necessary for determination of the application, such as the transcript of any hearing held on the motion at issue. Id. Because, generally, there is no record on appeal when a party seeks an extraordinary appeal, it is the party’s responsibility to provide this Court with an ad hoc record of the proceeding below. Upon review, this Court must deny the Defendant’s application because it is incomplete. Although the Defendant attached several documents to her application, she failed to include a copy of any trial court order from which an extraordinary appeal may lie to this Court. Rule 10 permits this Court to review interlocutory orders of a trial court. There is no trial court order before this Court for review. In the alternative, the Defendant seeks a writ of mandamus. This Court’s jurisdiction is appellate only; as such, the Court may not entertain a request for mandamus relief unless it is necessary to aid in the exercise of its appellate functions. See, e.g., State v. Irick, 906 S.W.2d 440, 442 (Tenn. 1995). Such a circumstance does not apply in this instance. For these reasons, the Defendant’s pleading is hereby denied. The Defendant has not adequately applied for, or established proof of, indigency. Tenn. R. App. P. 6(a). Accordingly, costs are taxed to her. Ayers, J., Wedemeyer, P.J., Holloway, J. 2