Full Opinion

Court of Appeals of the State of Georgia ATLANTA,____________________ October 09, 2026 The Court of Appeals hereby passes the following order: A27O0013. DERRICK B. JACKSON v. WANDA PAUL, CLERK. Derrick B. Jackson filed the instant original mandamus petition,1 seeking an order compelling the trial court clerk to transmit the record in connection with his filing of a notice of appeal. He claims to have filed two petitions for mandamus in the trial court, which he alleges were “ineffective and futile.” Both the superior and appellate courts of this state “have the power to issue process in the nature of mandamus, prohibition, specific performance, quo warranto, and injunction.” Ga. Const. of 1983, Art. VI, Sec. I, Par. IV. But an appellate court’s authority to issue such writs “is connected only to such powers as necessary in aid of its jurisdiction or to protect or effectuate its judgments.” Arnold v. Alexander, 321 Ga. 330, 334(1) (914 SE2d 311) (2025) (quotation marks omitted). Appellate courts lack jurisdiction to issue process as an original matter wholly unconnected to their appellate jurisdiction. Id. Here, Jackson asserts that he filed a notice of appeal on July 14, 2026 and has filed two petitions for mandamus in the trial court, but there is no disposition as to the mandamus actions filed below in the documents he filed in this Court. A petitioner cannot invoke this Court’s original jurisdiction simply as a way to circumvent the proper channels for obtaining the relief he seeks without making some showing that he is being prevented fair access to those channels. See, e.g., Brown v. Johnson, 251 Ga. 1 Jackson filed his petition in the Supreme Court of Georgia, which transferred it to this Court. Case No. S27O0082 (Sep. 9, 2026). 436 (306 SE2d 655) (1983) disapproved in part on other grounds, Arnold, 321 Ga. at 336(1) & n.7 (explaining that the proper procedure is to file the mandamus petition below and, upon its being denied or dismissed, to seek appellate review from the relevant court). Absent additional detail about the timing and disposition of his petitions for mandamus in the trial court, Jackson has not shown that this mandamus petition is necessary in aid of our appellate jurisdiction or to protect or effectuate any appellate court judgments. This case therefore does not present one of the extremely rare instances in which this Court will grant mandamus relief. See Arnold, 321 Ga. at 335(1) & n.6. Because there is no basis for this Court to exercise its jurisdiction, this original petition is hereby DISMISSED. Court of Appeals of the State of Georgia Clerk’s Office, Atlanta,____________________ 10/09/2026 I certify that the above is a true extract from the minutes of the Court of Appeals of Georgia. Witness my signature and the seal of said court hereto affixed the day and year last above written. , Clerk.