Georgia CommonsCourt opinions
Georgia Supreme Court decisions with plain-language summaries. Browse by year and case type, or search by case name.
Asmelash v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld Abel Asmelash's murder conviction in the shooting death of Travis Ridley, ruling that the trial judge's refusal to replay surveillance video for the jury and defense counsel's failure to call an alibi witness did not undermine the fairness of the trial.
Collins v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a Cherokee County man's murder conviction, ruling that he abandoned his only argument on appeal by failing to explain why the evidence against him was insufficient.
Davis v. Coleman, Warden
The Supreme Court of Georgia denied a habeas petitioner's request to reconsider the dismissal of his appeal, holding that a trial court's order is entered when it is filed and stamped by the clerk, not when an electronic filing service receives it.
In THE MATTER OF BRIAN JOEL APLIN (Two Cases)
The Supreme Court of Georgia disbarred attorney Brian Joel Aplin after he defaulted on two disciplinary cases accusing him of abandoning clients, taking their fees, and ignoring the State Bar's investigations.
In the Matter of Destin Michelle Gillum
The Supreme Court of Georgia disbarred attorney Destin Michelle Gillum after she abandoned six clients, kept their fees, and never responded to the State Bar's investigation into her conduct.
In the Matter of Herald J.A. Alexander
The Supreme Court of Georgia ruled that a Special Master wrongly declared an attorney in default in a disciplinary case, even though the lawyer had filed his answer on time but on the wrong court's docket. The case now goes back for a hearing on the actual merits.
Merritt v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a DeKalb County man's murder conviction for killing his mother, rejecting his claims that the evidence was too weak and that his trial lawyer was ineffective. The court found several of his other claims, including about being shackled during trial, were never properly raised and so were waived.
Stitts v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld Tianvye Stitts's murder conviction for the 2020 shooting of Darcy Jones at an Atlanta nightclub, rejecting claims about insufficient evidence, missing jury instructions, and ineffective counsel.
Burks v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia affirmed Rufus Burks's felony murder conviction for a Columbus home invasion that left three people dead, rejecting his claims about weak evidence, autopsy photos, jury instructions, pretrial publicity, and jury composition.
Gravitt v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a Catoosa County man's murder conviction, rejecting his claims that jailhouse statements to detectives should have been suppressed and that the trial judge should have given extra jury instructions on his insanity defense.
Momon v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld Tarell Momon's murder conviction, rejecting his claims that his trial lawyer's failure to object to gang and phone evidence amounted to ineffective assistance.
Reid v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld Isaac Reid's murder conviction in the shooting death of Wildarius Draggs, ruling that surveillance footage and an accomplice's testimony gave the jury enough evidence to convict.
Smith v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a Gwinnett County man's felony murder conviction for a fatal high-speed police chase, ruling that even if letting jurors hear about his suspended license was error, it was harmless given the overwhelming evidence against him.
TUSSAHAW RESERVES, LLC v. BUTTS COUNTY
The Supreme Court of Georgia vacated a ruling that threw out a rock quarry developer's lawsuit against Butts County, finding the lower courts wrongly assumed they had no power to fix the case before dismissing it.
BURROUGHS v. STRENGTH OF NATURE GLOBAL, LLC (Two Cases)
The Supreme Court of Georgia ruled that Georgia's ten-year statute of repose for product liability claims applies separately to each individual sale of a product, not to a whole group of purchases treated together, reviving part of a hair-relaxer lawsuit.
Copney v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a DeKalb County man's murder conviction for a gas-station shooting, rejecting his claims that his trial lawyer's mistakes, including letting an improper murder allegation reach the jury, entitled him to a new trial.
Gonzalez v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a Gwinnett County man's murder and armed robbery convictions after ruling that his lawyer never actually argued why the evidence was insufficient, only citing the record without explaining any flaw in it.
Green v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld Eric Green's murder conviction, ruling that he could not raise a claim that his trial lawyer was ineffective because he never raised that claim in the trial court first.
HOMEWOOD ASSOCIATES INC. v. UNIFIED GOVERNMENT OF ATHENS-CLARKE COUNTY
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld Athens-Clarke County's stormwater utility charge as a fee rather than a tax, rejecting a second challenge from Homewood Village and other property owners and affirming that they owe delinquent charges.
Marquez v. Aguirre
The Supreme Court of Georgia declined to review a Court of Appeals ruling on a legitimation dispute between a married woman's husband and her biological child's other possible father, leaving that decision in place despite concerns about gaps in state law.