Georgia CommonsCourt opinions
Georgia Supreme Court decisions with plain-language summaries. Browse by year and case type, or search by case name.
Harris v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia reversed Emmanuel Harris's murder conviction, ruling that graphic evidence of a past domestic violence incident with an ex-girlfriend should never have been shown to the jury as proof of 'motive.'
In THE MATTER OF JAMES HOWARD SINNOTT (Two Cases)
The Supreme Court of Georgia suspended attorney James Sinnott from practicing law after his federal conviction on fraud and false tax return charges, with the suspension to last until his criminal appeal is resolved.
In the Matter of Dell Jackson
The Supreme Court of Georgia disbarred emeritus attorney Dell Jackson after she abandoned a client's criminal appeal, failed to communicate with him, and never responded to State Bar disciplinary proceedings.
Nesbit v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld David Nesbit Jr.'s murder conviction from a Cobb County gas station shooting, rejecting his claims that his trial lawyer should have pursued a defense of habitation and should have objected to the prosecutor's closing argument.
State v. Riley
The Supreme Court of Georgia reversed an order granting a new trial to Brendan Riley, ruling his trial lawyer was not ineffective for not challenging an ambiguous charging document as improper.
Atlantic Games, Inc. v. Georgia Lottery Corporation
The Supreme Court of Georgia denied review of a company's challenge to the Georgia Lottery Corporation's rulemaking power, but a concurring Justice used the order to lay out a detailed case for revisiting a 1990 precedent on legislative delegation.
City of Madison v. Morgan County Hospital Authority
The Supreme Court of Georgia decided not to rule on whether a government's right to ignore local zoning rules on its own property can be passed on to whoever later buys that property, dismissing the case as improvidently granted.
Clark v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia ruled that a state agency's duty to notify courts when a probationer qualifies for early release is mandatory, but ruled that missing that deadline does not automatically end anyone's probation.
Dias v. Boone
The Supreme Court of Georgia reversed a custody order granted under the state's Equitable Caregiver Statute, ruling the law cannot be applied to a legal parent's conduct that occurred before the statute took effect in July 2019.
Griffin v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a Fulton County woman's murder conviction, rejecting her claim that her lawyer violated her constitutional rights by shifting the defense strategy at trial without her explicit objection.
Guyton v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a Douglas County man's malice murder conviction for killing his boyfriend, ruling the evidence showed malice and that his lawyer's failure to object to graphic photos and mentions of his past jail time did not change the trial's outcome.
In the Matter of Chadrick A. Mance
The Supreme Court of Georgia accepted a Fulton-area attorney's petition for a public reprimand after he attached a mock order bearing a cut-and-pasted image of a judge's signature to a court filing.
In the Matter of Christopher Tyson
The Supreme Court of Georgia accepted a two-year suspension for a Louisiana-based attorney who mishandled a client's personal injury settlement money, after previously rejecting his request for only a six-month suspension.
Oskouei v. Matthews
The Supreme Court of Georgia ruled that a defamation plaintiff does not need to prove the strict 'actual malice' standard from New York Times v. Sullivan to defeat a conditional privilege defense under Georgia law, unless the case involves a public figure or a matter of public concern.
Render v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a Columbus man's felony murder conviction but threw out his other convictions, ruling prosecutors relied only on an uncorroborated accomplice's testimony to prove he took part in a stolen-car theft and a shootout in a park.
Smith v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a Fulton County man's murder conviction for shooting his victim in the back, rejecting claims that his lawyer was ineffective and that the state used false testimony about his brother's criminal history.
State v. Flowers
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a trial judge's decision to keep evidence of five prior violent incidents involving a Dodge County murder defendant out of his upcoming trial, finding the exclusion was not an abuse of discretion.
State v. Gates
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a DeKalb County judge's decision to give a man immunity from murder charges after he shot a man who had struck him and threatened to rob him, finding enough evidence to support the trial judge's self-defense finding.
State v. Islam
The Supreme Court of Georgia ruled that when a trial judge grants a motion to return property seized in a search, the property is automatically excluded from trial by law, even if the order never uses the word 'exclude.'
State v. Leverette
The Supreme Court of Georgia ruled that a GBI agent's statements telling a murder suspect officers wanted to hold the actual shooter accountable, not him, did not amount to an improper promise of leniency, so a trial court wrongly suppressed his confession.