Georgia CommonsCourt opinions
Georgia Supreme Court decisions with plain-language summaries. Browse by year and case type, or search by case name.
Worth County School District v. Tibbetts
The Supreme Court of Georgia ruled that a Worth County teacher's contract offer was valid under state law, meaning his failure to sign it on time left him with no written contract and no basis to sue the school district.
Zayas v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a Hall County man's murder conviction for shooting his girlfriend, rejecting his claim the gun fired accidentally and finding his lawyer was not ineffective for letting police interview statements into evidence.
Anderson v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a Paulding County man's malice murder conviction for shooting his mother's fiance 16 times, rejecting claims of insufficient evidence, a missing manslaughter instruction, and ineffective counsel.
Feder v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld Visheslav Feder's murder conviction, ruling that a jury's mixed verdicts on related shooting charges were merely inconsistent, not legally repugnant, and that his lawyer's decision to skip a suppression motion was reasonable.
Gray v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a DeKalb County man's felony murder conviction, ruling that even if the trial judge should have given a self-defense jury instruction, leaving it out did not affect the verdict.
In the Matter of James W. Davis, III
The Supreme Court of Georgia disbarred attorney James W. Davis III for knowingly using his trust account to help intercept and steal a $3 million insurance payment meant for a policyholder.
Isaac v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld Kenneth Isaac's murder conviction, ruling that even if his lawyer wrongly refused to let him testify, there was no reasonable chance the trial would have ended differently.
Jackson v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a Thomasville man's murder conviction, ruling that his lawyer's failure to object to a prosecutor's flawed closing argument did not likely change the trial's outcome.
Mayo v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a White County man's murder conviction for killing his girlfriend, ruling that a confusing verdict form and the judge's private response to a jury note were not reversible errors.
COBB COUNTY v. FLOAM
The Supreme Court of Georgia reversed a ruling that had struck down Cobb County's attempt to redraw its own commission districts, holding that even though the challengers had standing, they could not seek a declaratory judgment because they showed no uncertainty about their own future conduct.
City of Atlanta v. 400 Edgewood, LLC
The Supreme Court of Georgia denied review of a dispute over a gas station ordered by an Atlanta municipal court to add security cameras and cut its hours, leaving in place a ruling that the court overstepped its power.
Hooks v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a Ware County man's felony murder conviction, ruling that circumstantial evidence, including the dying victim naming his shooter's nickname, was enough for the jury to convict.
Huber v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a Laurens County man's felony murder conviction for a beating that ended when his companion shot the victim, rejecting claims of insufficient evidence, ineffective counsel, and flawed jury instructions.
POWELL v. THE STATE (Two Cases)
The Supreme Court of Georgia reversed the convictions path for two former Glynn County police officials, ruling that their oath-of-office indictment did not actually describe a Brady violation and so could not survive a general demurrer.
Pittman v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a Haralson County man's murder and arson convictions, ruling that forensic dental evidence and eyewitness testimony were enough to identify the burned skeletal remains as his girlfriend, and that his lawyer-turned-prosecutor did not have to be disqualified.
Platt v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld Rodrigues Platt's murder conviction, ruling that late disclosure of hair test results and a recorded police interview did not require a mistrial or new trial given the strong evidence against him.
Sauder v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld Frederick Sauder's murder and armed robbery convictions in a White County killing, but vacated one firearm-possession count because it should have merged with another under the state's sentencing rules.
Schmitt v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia reversed a Fulton County man's malice murder conviction because the trial judge refused to let the jury consider an accident defense, even though there was evidence supporting it.
Sconyers v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld the murder conviction of a Columbia County man for killing his girlfriend's 23-month-old son, rejecting his challenges to evidence about the child's prior injuries and other trial rulings.
Smith v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a DeKalb County man's felony murder conviction, ruling that he could not testify to his own PTSD diagnosis and that any error in questioning about a military charge was harmless.