Georgia CommonsCourt opinions
Georgia Supreme Court decisions with plain-language summaries. Browse by year and case type, or search by case name.
Wasserman v. Franklin County
The Supreme Court of Georgia ruled that the federal legal theory of 'third-party standing,' which lets someone sue by asserting another person's rights, does not exist under Georgia's Constitution. A landowner could not sue over a neighbor's alleged mistreatment without asserting her own rights.
Wilson v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld Shamar Wilson's convictions for felony murder, armed robbery, and attempted armed robbery, ruling that a jury could reasonably conclude he tried to rob a second victim who was present during a marijuana deal shooting.
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 officer was in uniform with a badge prominently displayed, an element the fleeing statute requires.
Garcia-Solis v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld Hector Garcia-Solis's convictions for murdering Hall County Deputy Blane Dixon during a string of burglaries, rejecting his claims about the evidence, trial venue, and his life-without-parole sentence given his age.
Bennett v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a Hall County man's murder conviction for shooting an elderly man during an attempted robbery outside a pharmacy, rejecting challenges to the evidence and jury instructions.
COOK-ROSE v. WAFFLE HOUSE INC.
The Supreme Court of Georgia ruled that a lawsuit's plaintiffs could immediately appeal an attorneys' fees award without first getting a trial court's permission, because refiling their case as a new lawsuit did not keep the old, dismissed case pending.
Edwards-Tuggle v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a Gwinnett County man's murder conviction, rejecting claims that the judge's scheduling remarks pressured the jury and that his lawyer's trial strategy amounted to ineffective assistance.
In the Matter of Wendy R. Barnes
The Supreme Court of Georgia disbarred attorney Wendy R. Barnes after she pleaded guilty to felony obstruction of a law enforcement officer and felony aggravated battery for injuring an arresting officer.
Parker v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld Stefan Parker's murder conviction, finding the jury was entitled to reject his self-defense claim and that no trial error or ineffective assistance required a new trial.
State v. TRIPP (And Vice Versa)
The Supreme Court of Georgia ruled that most of Leon Tripp's statements to Richmond County investigators about his stepdaughter's disappearance can be used at his murder trial, but excluded statements made after his lawyer told police he had nothing more to say.
Tanner v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld the dismissal of a man's 2024 request to withdraw his 2017 guilty pleas to murdering his wife, ruling the request came far too late for any court to consider it.
Taylor v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld the dismissal of a man's decades-later bid for a new trial in his 1999 murder case, ruling that constitutional claims like his must be raised through habeas corpus, not an extraordinary motion for new trial.
Williams v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a Coffee County woman's murder conviction, ruling the judge was not biased, the jury was properly instructed, and her lawyer's trial strategy did not amount to ineffective assistance.
State v. Leverette
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld Jasmine Williams's malice murder conviction, rejecting her claims that the trial judge should have stepped aside, that the jury should have heard self-defense and manslaughter instructions, and that her lawyer was ineffective.
State v. TRIPP (And Vice Versa)
The Supreme Court of Georgia ruled that most of the statements a man accused of murdering his stepdaughter made to investigators can be used at trial, but statements taken after his lawyer told police he had nothing more to say cannot.
HOLLIS v. CITY OF LAGRANGE
The Supreme Court of Georgia ruled that a constitutional limit on the legislature's power over municipal utility rates does not stop courts from reviewing lawsuits claiming those rates are actually illegal taxes.
Hayes v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a Douglasville man's murder conviction, ruling that guns found in his home were properly used as evidence even though he had not been read his Miranda rights before telling police where they were.
In the Matter of Michael Frederick Greene
The Supreme Court of Georgia disbarred attorney Michael Frederick Greene after he abandoned three clients, missed court hearings, and refused to cooperate with State Bar disciplinary proceedings.
Jiles v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a DeKalb County man's felony murder conviction in a drug-deal shooting, rejecting claims that the trial court and his own lawyer made mistakes serious enough to require a new trial.
Mills v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a Douglas County man's felony murder conviction from his retrial, ruling that the jury was entitled to reject his self-defense claim and that evidence of a prior gang-related assault was properly admitted to show motive.