Georgia CommonsCourt opinions
Georgia Supreme Court decisions with plain-language summaries. Browse by year and case type, or search by case name.
Tucker v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld Deangelo Tucker's murder conviction for a gang-related shooting, rejecting challenges to the evidence and jury instructions, but sent the case back for correction of a sentencing mix-up.
Washington v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia affirmed a Dougherty County man's murder and related convictions, rejecting claims that the evidence was insufficient, that the trial judge improperly commented on a witness's credibility, and that his trial lawyer was constitutionally ineffective.
Watkins v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld Roderick Watkins's murder and feticide convictions in the shooting death of Ashley Clark, but reversed his drug convictions because a lab analyst who never tested the cocaine improperly testified about another analyst's findings.
City of Madison v. Morgan County Hospital Authority
The Supreme Court of Georgia vacated its earlier grant of review in a zoning dispute between the City of Madison and Morgan County Hospital Authority, deciding the case was not a good vehicle to resolve the underlying legal question.
Watkins v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld Roderick Watkins's murder and feticide convictions but reversed his cocaine-related convictions because a substitute lab analyst's testimony violated his right to confront witnesses.
4918 Covington Hwy, LLC v. Dekalb County Tax Assessors
The Supreme Court of Georgia dismissed a certiorari appeal between a property owner and DeKalb County's tax assessors after the parties reached an unconditional settlement, and it wiped out the Court of Appeals' earlier ruling in the case.
Brundage v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia reversed a DeKalb County man's felony murder and firearm possession convictions because his lawyer failed to object when the prosecutor wrongly told jurors that self-defense could never excuse a felon caught with a gun.
Burke v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld Dontarious Burke's murder and armed robbery convictions, rejecting his claims that his rights to confront witnesses were violated and that his trial lawyer performed inadequately.
Chambers v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia reversed a Savannah man's felony murder convictions from a deadly high-speed chase, ruling prosecutors never proved the pursuing officers wore uniforms with badges prominently displayed as the fleeing statute requires.
Garcia-Solis v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld the murder conviction and life-without-parole sentence of a man who shot and killed a Hall County deputy during a crime spree, rejecting his claims about insufficient evidence, trial venue, and his age at the time of the crimes.
Holloway v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld Malcolm Holloway's felony murder conviction for a botched armed robbery in LaGrange, finding enough evidence that he organized the robbery and that his accomplice's fatal shooting was a foreseeable result.
Holloway v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a Cobb County man's murder conviction, rejecting his claims that the shooting was self-defense and that his trial was tainted by remote testimony and interpreter mistakes.
Mitchell v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld Kenyatta Mitchell's murder conviction, ruling that surveillance video with an inaccurate time stamp was still admissible and that a friend's identification of him in blurry footage was proper.
NELSON v. STRICKLAND
The Supreme Court of Georgia reversed a trial court order that had voided a Waycross city commission election, ruling that the 2011 voting district map the challenger relied on never legally took effect.
Pierce v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a trial court order restricting Jason Pierce's civil filings, ruling that Pierce never actually asked the trial court to lift those restrictions before appealing.
Reddick v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a Grady County man's felony murder conviction for shooting a man outside his home, ruling the evidence let the jury reject his self-defense and defense-of-habitation claims.
Ryan v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld the murder and aggravated assault convictions of Damone Blalock and Rodalius Ryan, rejecting claims that their trial lawyers were ineffective in handling a witness's silence, missed evidence, and an alibi.
Singleton v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a DeKalb County man's murder conviction, ruling the trial court properly allowed a witness's photo lineup identification even though months passed before police showed him the defendant's picture.
WALTON ELECTRIC MEMBERSHIP CORPORATION v. GEORGIA POWER COMPANY (Two Cases)
The Supreme Court of Georgia ruled that Nestle Purina could switch its electric provider for its Hartwell pet food plant, holding that a facility can be legally 'dismantled' even without total demolition.
WHITE v. CITY OF MABLETON
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld the state law that created the City of Mableton, ruling that including community improvement districts in the same bill did not violate Georgia's rule against mixing unrelated subjects in one law.