Travis Santell Rabon v. Nancy N. Bills

• Court: Court of Appeals of Georgia
• Decided: June 5, 2026
• Docket: A26A2120
• Status: Published

Opinion

Court of Appeals of the State of Georgia

ATLANTA,____________________ June 05, 2026

The Court of Appeals hereby passes the following order:

A26A2120. TRAVIS SANTELL RABON v. NANCY N. BILLS.

In 2012, Travis Santell Rabon was convicted of murder and other crimes, and the Supreme Court of Georgia affirmed his convictions on direct appeal. Rabon v. State, 301 Ga. 200 (800 SE2d 299) (2017). In 2026, Rabon filed this mandamus petition against the judge assigned to his criminal case, asking her to rule on post- conviction motions filed in his criminal case, vacate his convictions, and order his immediate release. The petition was assigned to a different trial court judge, who dismissed it. Rabon now appeals directly to this Court. In substance, this mandamus action is a challenge to the validity of Rabon’s criminal convictions. See Johnson v. Adcock, 377 Ga. App. 375, 380(1) (922 SE2d 668) (2025) (“[T]here is no magic in nomenclature. A document is to be construed by its substance or function, rather than by its name.”) (citation and punctuation omitted). However, the Supreme Court of Georgia has appellate jurisdiction over “[a]ll cases in which a sentence of death was imposed or could be imposed.” Ga. Const. of 1983, Art. VI, Sec. VI, Par. III(8). Because a penalty of death may be imposed for the crime of murder, jurisdiction over this appeal appears to lie in the Supreme Court. See OCGA § 16-5-1(a), (e)(1); Hart v. State, 322 Ga. 1, 10(1) (917 SE2d 631) (2025) (preserving requirement that this Court transfer “non-death-penalty murder appeals” to the Supreme Court). See also Simpson v. State, 292 Ga. 764 (740 SE2d 124) (2013) (considering appeal from denial of post-judgment motion in murder case). Accordingly, this appeal is hereby TRANSFERRED to the Supreme Court of Georgia for disposition.

Court of Appeals of the State of Georgia Clerk’s Office, Atlanta,____________________ 06/05/2026 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.