Georgia CommonsCourt opinions
Georgia Supreme Court decisions with plain-language summaries. Browse by year and case type, or search by case name.
Robinson v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld Kenneth Robinson's murder and related convictions from a 2008 gang killing in Fulton County, rejecting his claims that his lawyer botched a plea deal and that his sentencing was unconstitutional.
Robinson v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a man's decision to plead guilty to felony murder despite his claim he had a seizure an hour before the plea hearing, but it corrected a sentencing error on a related count.
Rouse v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a Houston County man's felony murder conviction, rejecting his claims that the evidence was too weak, his lawyer was ineffective, and the trial court wrongly allowed testimony about a prior drug dispute.
Whisnant v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld Karen Whisnant's felony murder conviction for shooting her husband, rejecting her claims that the evidence was insufficient and that the trial court ignored her battered person syndrome defense.
Williams v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a DeKalb County man's murder conviction for killing his fiancée, rejecting his claims that his trial lawyer should have objected to certain testimony and prosecutor comments.
In the Matter of Charles M. Dalziel, Jr
The Supreme Court of Georgia suspended a longtime securities lawyer for six months for failing to properly account to a client for a retainer, though it questioned other misconduct findings a special master had relied on.
In the Matter of Justin Allen Chin
The Supreme Court of Georgia disbarred attorney Justin Allen Chin after finding he knowingly mishandled client funds and neglected clients in eight separate divorce cases, rejecting a hearing officer's recommendation of a shorter suspension.
Adams v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld Xavier Adams's felony murder conviction for a Clayton County shooting, rejecting arguments that his mixed voluntary manslaughter and felony murder verdicts conflicted or that jury instructions on causation were flawed.
CHAPMAN v. THE STATE (Two Cases)
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld the murder and aggravated assault convictions of Yaquan Chapman and Jordan Watson, rejecting claims that trial errors and ineffective lawyering tainted their joint trial for a deadly Butts County robbery shooting.
Hilton v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld Gregory Hilton's murder conviction for shooting his neighbor, ruling that even if the trial judge should have instructed the jury on voluntary manslaughter, the mistake did not affect the outcome given the strength of the evidence against him.
Jacobs v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a Butts County man's murder conviction, ruling that he validly waived his right to be present when the jury went outside the courthouse to view the van connected to the shooting.
Kitchens v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia sent a Bibb County man's murder case back to the trial court after finding the judge miscalculated key facts and misapplied the law in rejecting his claim that the state violated his right to a speedy trial.
Lewis v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia ruled that a trial court used the wrong legal test to decide where a drug-related felony murder case should be tried, vacating the ruling and sending the venue question back for a proper analysis under Georgia's homicide venue statute.
Arnsdorff v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld an Effingham County man's murder conviction, ruling that his hiding, communications, and actions before and after the shooting were enough evidence that he shared the shooter's intent to kill.
Bowdery v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld Ryan Bowdery's murder conviction in a Fulton County gang shooting, finding an accomplice's out-of-court statement was sufficiently backed by other evidence and that the trial court handled a disputed closing argument appropriately.
Guy v. Housing Authority of the City of Augusta
The Supreme Court of Georgia vacated a ruling that shielded the Augusta Housing Authority from a shooting victim's lawsuit, holding that lower courts used the wrong legal test to decide whether the authority has sovereign immunity as a city instrumentality.
Walmart Stores East, Lp v. Leverette
The Supreme Court of Georgia ruled that a jury cannot award $1 million as 'nominal damages,' holding that under long-standing common law, nominal damages must be a trivial, token sum rather than a large amount.
COLEMAN v. THE STATE (Four Cases)
The Supreme Court of Georgia ruled that a trial court wrongly forced a man to answer questions about a factual proffer that could expose him to federal prosecution, and that two gang members could each be convicted of only one count of contempt, not dozens, for refusing to testify.
ESTES v. PIERACCINI
The Supreme Court of Georgia declined to review a Court of Appeals ruling that a mental health provider could not claim the psychiatrist-patient privilege, leaving in place a decades-old test for who counts as a 'psychiatrist' under Georgia evidence law.
FLEUREME v. CITY OF ATLANTA
The Supreme Court of Georgia ruled that a person suing the City of Atlanta for damages can satisfy the legal notice requirement by mailing the claim to the 'Office of the Mayor' rather than to the mayor by name.