--- title: In the Matter of John Carl Huber collection: opinions id: S22Y1131 cite_as: In the Matter of John Carl Huber, 314 Ga. 426 (2022) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/opinions/S22Y1131 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/opinions/S22Y1131.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/opinions/S22Y1131/text source_url: https://www.courtlistener.com/opinion/10679844/in-the-matter-of-john-carl-huber/ date: 2022-08-09 status: published corpus_version: opinions-2026-09-14 license: Public record of the Supreme Court of Georgia, via CourtListener and the court's own website; see about.md publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice. up: https://georgiacommons.org/opinions/2022.md previous: https://georgiacommons.org/opinions/S22Y0691.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/opinions/S22Z0316.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/opinions/index.md omitted: opinion extras omitted_chars: 1590 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/opinions/S22Y1131.md?full=1 docket: S22Y1131 citation: 314 Ga. 426 court: Supreme Court of Georgia case_type: bar discipline authoring_justice: Per Curiam disposition: Petition for interim suspension accepted; suspended until further order of the Court vote: All the Justices concur word_count: 621 date_filed_source: courtlistener citations: - 877 S.E.2d 243 record_source: courtlistener legal_areas: - professional discipline upstream_id: "10679844" summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 --- # In the Matter of John Carl Huber Supreme Court of Georgia, docket S22Y1131, filed 2022-08-09, 314 Ga. 426. ## Opinion 314 Ga. 426 FINAL COPY S22Y1131. IN THE MATTER OF JOHN CARL HUBER. PER CURIAM. This disciplinary matter is before the Court on John Carl Huber’s (State Bar No. 125360) petition seeking an order of interim suspension of his license pending an appeal of his criminal convictions pursuant to Bar Rule 4-106 (f), filed before the appointment of a Special Master, see Bar Rule 4-106 (a). Huber, who has been a member of the State Bar since 2013, admits that on March 1, 2022, he was convicted of 11 counts of a 13-count indictment in the Superior Court of Hall County and was sentenced for a total of 30 years with the first two years to be served in confinement. Because a number of his convictions, including but not limited to aggravated assault, burglary in the first degree, and aggravated stalking, are felonies, they result in a violation of Rule 8.4 (a) (2) of Bar Rule 4-102 (d). The maximum penalty for a violation of Rule 8.4 (a) (2) is disbarment. Huber states that he filed his Notice of Appeal of his convictions and sentences on March 28, 2022. He further states that he has not practiced law in the State since May 12, 2021, the date he was arrested for the alleged conduct that resulted in his subsequent indictment, convictions, and sentences as set forth above. He also states that he has complied with the provisions of Rule 9.1 (a) (2) by reporting the above-referenced convictions to the State Bar within 60 days, and he recognizes that under Bar Rule 4- 106, he should be suspended from the practice of law pending resolution of the appeal of his convictions and thereafter until further order of this Court. Finally, he states that he will notify the State Bar of the final disposition of his direct appeal within ten days of that disposition. The State Bar has filed a response, agreeing that an interim suspension is appropriate, so long as: (1) it remains in place only until resolution of the direct appeal and will not remain in place for any other appeals or collateral attacks upon the convictions; (2) Huber is required to notify the State Bar of the final disposition of the direct appeal within ten days of that disposition; and (3) upon the final disposition of the direct appeal, the State Bar may proceed as provided in Bar Rule 4-106. See In the Matter of Otuonye, 302 Ga. 374 (806 SE2d 524) (2017). Having reviewed Huber’s petition and the State Bar’s response, we agree that the petition should be accepted. See In the Matter of Rachel, 297 Ga. 279 (773 SE2d 246) (2015) (accepting petition seeking voluntary suspension of license pending outcome of appeal of criminal conviction). See also In the Matter of Swank, 288 Ga. 479 (704 SE2d 807) (2011) (accepting petition for interim suspension during pendency of criminal charges). Accordingly, it is hereby ordered that John Carl Huber be suspended from the practice of law in this State pending his direct appeal and until further order of this Court. He is also ordered to notify the State Bar’s Office of General Counsel in writing within ten days of the final disposition of his direct appeal, and he is further ordered to comply with the notification and other requirements of Bar Rule 4- 219 (b). Petition for interim suspension accepted. Suspension until further order of this Court. All the Justices concur. Decided August 9, 2022. Suspension. Paula J. Frederick, General Counsel State Bar, William D. NeSmith III, Deputy General Counsel State Bar, Jenny K. Mittelman, William Van Hearnburg, Jr., Assistant General Counsel State Bar, for State Bar of Georgia. Wilson Morton & Downs, James E. Spence, Jr., for Huber. ## Summaries written by Georgia Commons The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the opinion above and is not part of the court's opinion. Quote the opinion, not the summary. The Supreme Court of Georgia agreed to suspend an attorney's law license while he appeals his felony convictions, including aggravated assault and burglary, rather than deciding whether to disbar him now. ### Plain-language summary John Carl Huber, a Georgia attorney, was convicted in March 2022 of 11 of 13 charges in a Hall County indictment, including aggravated assault, first-degree burglary, and aggravated stalking, and was sentenced to 30 years with two years to serve. He appealed his convictions and asked the Supreme Court of Georgia to suspend his law license temporarily while that appeal is pending, rather than face disbarment proceedings right away. The State Bar agreed with an interim suspension, as long as it lasted only until the appeal was resolved, Huber promptly reported the outcome, and the Bar could then pursue further discipline. The court accepted the petition, noting Huber had already stopped practicing law since his arrest and had properly reported his convictions to the Bar. It ordered him suspended until the appeal concludes and further order of the court. ### Holding, as summarized The court held that Huber's petition for interim suspension under Bar Rule 4-106 (f) should be accepted because his felony convictions violate Rule 8.4 (a) (2), he properly reported them, and suspension pending appeal is the appropriate interim measure rather than immediate disbarment. ### Disposition Petition for interim suspension accepted; suspended until further order of the Court. All the Justices concur. ### Why it matters The ruling shows how Georgia handles lawyers convicted of serious crimes while their appeals are pending: they can be pulled from practicing law immediately without waiting years for a final disbarment decision, protecting clients and the public from lawyers facing felony convictions. > The summarized reasoning, checked quotes, suggested questions, and the CourtListener opinion records (1,590 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/opinions/S22Y1131.md?full=1