Georgia CommonsCourt opinions
Georgia Supreme Court decisions with plain-language summaries. Browse by year and case type, or search by case name.
Garrison v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia ruled that prosecutors do not have to prove COVID-19 judicial emergency orders extended a deadline to charge a DUI defendant, but sent her case back because the wrong legal test was used to admit breath-test-style field sobriety evidence.
Heyward v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a DeKalb County woman's felony murder conviction for shooting her husband, ruling that her lawyer's jury-instruction choices did not cost her a realistic chance at a lesser verdict.
In the Matter of Anthony O. Van Johnson
The Supreme Court of Georgia accepted an Atlanta-area attorney's voluntary surrender of his law license after he admitted forging a client's signature on a settlement check, keeping her money, and abandoning other clients' cases.
In the Matter of Jonathan Reuven Melnick
The Supreme Court of Georgia suspended a Rockdale County lawyer for six months after he failed to tell his client about a court hearing and a $3,600 order against her, rejecting a lighter public reprimand recommended by a disciplinary review board.
Johnson v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a Chatham County man's murder convictions, ruling that a state law speedy trial deadline does not override or block a separate claim under the federal Sixth Amendment right to a speedy trial.
Johnson v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a DeKalb County man's murder conviction for stabbing his ex-girlfriend's father, rejecting claims that the trial judge should have given certain jury instructions or excluded a hearsay statement.
MILLER v. HODGE
The Supreme Court of Georgia dismissed an election challenge by a Chatham County voter because he waited too long to press his claims before a runoff election was held, even though the court clarified that such delayed challenges are not truly 'moot.'
McElrath v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia reversed its own prior ruling and held that Damian McElrath cannot be retried for malice murder, after the U.S. Supreme Court found the jury's not guilty by reason of insanity verdict was a genuine acquittal under the Double Jeopardy Clause.
Milliron v. Antonakakis
The Supreme Court of Georgia ruled that Georgia's Open Records Act covers records a public employee keeps in a separate role as a private contractor, and that requests for those records can go straight to the person holding them, even if the agency has a designated records officer.
Nunnally v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a DeKalb County man's murder conviction, ruling that circumstantial evidence including cell phone records and text messages was enough to prove he killed his marijuana customer and that a party-to-a-crime jury instruction was proper.
Pinkins v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a Gwinnett County man's murder conviction, ruling the evidence supported a finding of malice and that trying the charges involving both victims together was proper.
Russell v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a Cobb County man's murder conviction for killing his ex-girlfriend's new boyfriend with a machete, rejecting his self-defense claim and his argument that his lawyer should have sought pretrial immunity from prosecution.
SATCHER v. COLUMBIA COUNTY (And Vice Versa)
The Supreme Court of Georgia ruled that a permanent injunction ordering Columbia County to fix its stormwater drainage system went further than the state constitution allows, sending the case back for a narrower order. The court also decided it should not have taken up a separate damages question after all.
State v. Newsom
The Supreme Court of Georgia ruled that Georgia's left-turn statute clearly tells drivers they must finish a left turn in the far-left lane, reversing a Carroll County judge's decision to throw out a DUI case.
Wilson v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a Rockmart man's murder conviction, ruling that circumstantial evidence tying him to the shooting was enough for the jury and that any error in limiting testimony about other suspects was harmless.
Milliron v. Antonakakis
The Supreme Court of Georgia ruled that Georgia's Open Records Act covers records a private contractor keeps while doing work for a public agency, and that requesters can send records requests straight to that contractor even if the agency has a designated open records officer.
Inquiry Concerning Judge Robert Reeves
The Supreme Court of Georgia accepted a discipline agreement suspending a Middle Judicial Circuit judge for 30 days without pay and ordering a published public reprimand, after he agreed not to seek reelection.
In the Matter of Christopher Tyson
The Supreme Court of Georgia rejected a Louisiana-based former Georgia lawyer's request to accept a six-month suspension for mishandling a client's settlement funds, finding the proposed punishment too lenient and the restitution claims unproven.
In the Matter of Shelitha Renee Robertson
The Supreme Court of Georgia suspended attorney Shelitha Renee Robertson's law license while she appeals her federal wire fraud and money laundering convictions, granting her own request for a voluntary interim suspension.
In the Matter of Shelitha Renee Robertson
The Supreme Court of Georgia suspended attorney Shelitha Renee Robertson's law license after she was found guilty in federal court of wire fraud and money laundering, pending the outcome of her appeal of those convictions.