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Official Code of Georgia Annotated

Title 17. CRIMINAL PROCEDURE · Chapter 8. TRIAL · Article 4. CONDUCT AND ARGUMENT OF COUNSEL

17-8-75. Improper statements by counsel.

Active

Current through: Including Acts of the 2025 Regular Session of the General Assembly.

  1. Where counsel in the hearing of the jury make statements of prejudicial matters which are not in evidence, it is the duty of the court to interpose and prevent the same. On objection made, the court shall also rebuke the counsel and by all needful and proper instructions to the jury endeavor to remove the improper impression from their minds; or, in his discretion, he may order a mistrial if the prosecuting attorney is the offender.

The notes below are printed with the section but are not enacted law (O.C.G.A. § 1-1-1(c)). They are shown apart from the text.

History

Civil Code 1895, § 4419; Civil Code 1910, § 4957; Code 1933, § 81-1009.

Cross references

Corresponding provision relating to civil procedure, § 9-10-185.

Law reviews

For article, ‘‘From O.J. to McVeigh: The Use of Argument in the Opening Statement,’’ see 48 Emory L.J. 107 (1999). For article, ‘‘Death Penalty Law,’’ see 53 Mercer L. Rev. 233 (2001). For note, ‘‘Argument of Counsel,’’ see 1 Ga. B.J. 44 (1927). For comment on Aycock v. State, 180 Ga. 150, 4 S.E.2d 221 (1939), see 2 Ga. B.J. 69 (1940). For comment on Washington v. State, 80 Ga. App. 415, 56 S.E.2d 119 (1949), see 1 Mercer L. Rev. 320 (1950). For comment on Cornett v. State, 218 Ga. 405, 128 S.E.2d 317 (1962), see 25 Ga. B.J. 448 (1963).

Other notes

History of Code section.
This Code section is a codification of the rulings contained in Augusta & S.R.R. v. Randall, 85 Ga. 297, 11 S.E. 706 (1890); Metropol-itan S.R.R. v. Johnson, 90 Ga. 500, 16 S.E. 49 (1892); Croom v. State, 90 Ga. 430, 17 S.E. 1003 (1893); Farmer v. State, 91 Ga. 720, 18 S.E. 987 (1893).

Read the official page (the state's PDF, opened at the page this text was read from).

Current through: Including Acts of the 2025 Regular Session of the General Assembly.

Text read from t17-(v15)-2020-pdf.pdf, Volume V15, 2020 edition, page 899; merge action: annotated; file SHA-256 0b0d45f9c609.