Howard v. State

319 Ga. 114

FINAL COPY S23G1037. HOWARD v. THE STATE. PETERSON, Presiding Justice. Isaac Taqai Howard filed a direct appeal seeking review of an order revoking his first-offender status. The Court of Appeals applied its own longstanding precedent to dismiss Howard’s appeal for lack of jurisdiction because he failed to file an application for discretionary appeal. We granted certiorari to determine whether Howard had the right to a direct appeal under OCGA § 5-6-34 (a) or was instead required to file a discretionary application under OCGA § 5-6-35 (a). We conclude that the entry of an…