---
title: O.C.G.A. § 24-14-3. Required mental conviction in civil and criminal proceedings.
collection: code
id: 24-14-3
cite_as: O.C.G.A. § 24-14-3 (2025)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/24-14-3
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/24-14-3.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/24-14-3/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/document/docs/default-source/joint-features-document-library/t24-ch8-14-(v20a)-2023-pdf.pdf?sfvrsn=560fbfc0_0#page=564
date: 2025
status: active
corpus_version: 2025-supplement-89aa39ab3c68
license: CC0-1.0
publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice.
up: https://georgiacommons.org/code/24-14.md
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version: the only printed version
in_force: true
current_through: Including Acts of the 2025 Regular Session of the General Assembly
heading_path: EVIDENCE / PROOF GENERALLY / GENERAL PROVISIONS
---

# O.C.G.A. § 24-14-3. Required mental conviction in civil and criminal proceedings.

Moral and reasonable certainty is all that can be expected in legal investigation. Except as provided in Code Section 51-1-29.5 or Code Section 51-12-5.1, in all civil proceedings, a preponderance of evidence shall be considered sufficient to produce mental conviction. In criminal proceedings, a greater strength of mental conviction shall be held necessary to justify a verdict of guilty.

## History

Code 1981, § 24-14-3, enacted by Ga. L. 2011, p. 99, § 2/HB 24.

## Law Reviews

For article, “State of Emergency: Why Georgia’s Standard of Care in Emergency Rooms is Harmful to Your Health,” see 45 Ga. L. Rev. 275 (2010).

## History of Section.

Former Code Section 24-4-3, which contained comparable provisions to this Code section, as effective January 1, 2013, was derived from the decisions in John v. State, 33 Ga. 257 (1862) and Lucas v. State, 48 Ga. App. 42, 171 S.E. 850 (1933).