Georgia CommonsCourt opinions
Georgia Supreme Court decisions with plain-language summaries. Browse by year and case type, or search by case name.
Bradley v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld Benjamin Bradley's murder conviction from a Fulton County shooting outside an Atlanta gas station, rejecting his claims that the evidence was too weak and that his trial lawyer performed poorly.
COLLINGTON v. CLAYTON COUNTY
The Supreme Court of Georgia ruled that a car accident victim who notified Clayton County's commissioners about her claim against a sheriff's deputy did enough to comply with the state's 12-month notice law, even though she never notified the sheriff directly.
In THE MATTER OF DERRIC CROWTHER (Two Cases)
The Supreme Court of Georgia disbarred attorney Derric Crowther, rejecting a review board's recommendation of a four-year suspension for mishandling client settlement funds and violating trust accounting rules in two separate cases.
In THE MATTER OF R. DALE PERRY (Three Cases)
The Supreme Court of Georgia disbarred attorney R. Dale Perry after he abandoned clients in three divorce cases and failed to respond to formal disciplinary complaints against him, with one Justice dissenting in favor of a lesser sanction.
In the Matter of Christopher Ryan Breault
The Supreme Court of Georgia sent an attorney discipline case back for a redo, ruling that a special master's recommendation of a one-month suspension for a Savannah lawyer skipped required steps in the standard framework for attorney punishment.
In the Matter of Sharon L. Barksdale
The Supreme Court of Georgia accepted a lawyer's voluntary petition admitting she failed to promptly finalize a custody order and kept her client in the dark, imposing a public reprimand.
LOVELL v. RAFFENSPERGER
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld the dismissal of two election-related lawsuits, ruling that voters cannot sue election officials by name but must sue the State of Georgia or the county itself to use the constitution's limited waiver of sovereign immunity.
Ramirez v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a woman's murder conviction for allowing her elderly mother to die from severe neglect, ruling that prolonged, obvious neglect by a sole caregiver can support a finding of malice even without violence.
Remler v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a Chatham County man's felony murder conviction for the death of his girlfriend's two-year-old son, rejecting challenges to the evidence, expert testimony limits, jury instructions, and his lawyer's performance.
Shellman v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a Chatham County man's murder conviction for killing his wife, rejecting his claim that a police officer shot him and staged the scene, and ruling that her journal describing his abuse was properly admitted at trial.
State v. Franklin
The Supreme Court of Georgia ruled that a Fulton County man's statement to a detective while hospitalized with a gunshot wound was voluntary, because nothing in the record showed police coercion, and reversed the trial court's order suppressing it.
State v. Randall
The Supreme Court of Georgia sent a DUI evidence dispute back to a state court for a second time, ruling that the judge should have decided whether the evidence was too prejudicial before tackling constitutional questions.
Weems v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a Fulton County man's convictions for murdering his roommate's girlfriend and her boyfriend, finding the circumstantial evidence sufficient and rejecting his claims about a witness's remote testimony and a judge's comment.
Williams v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a Chatham County man's murder conviction for a nightclub shooting, finding that any errors in admitting cell phone evidence and a demonstration video were harmless given the strong evidence against him.
Bates v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld the murder-related convictions of three men involved in a fatal shooting during a robbery, rejecting challenges to the evidence, a jury instruction on conspiracy, jailhouse informant testimony, and a mistrial denial.
Beard v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a DeKalb County man's felony murder conviction for shooting his wife, rejecting claims that jury instructions were flawed and that his trial lawyer's mistakes cost him a fair trial.
Brixmor New Chastain Corners Sc, LLC v. James
The Supreme Court of Georgia vacated part of a Court of Appeals ruling in a shopping center trip-and-fall case, finding the appeals court decided an unnecessary and difficult legal question about evidence rules without enough analysis.
CLEMENTS v. THE STATE (Two Cases)
The Supreme Court of Georgia affirmed the murder convictions of London Clements and Eric Velazquez, both connected to the shooting death of a Hall County deputy during a chain of burglaries and a police chase in July 2019.
Chambliss v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a Monroe County man's felony murder conviction for shooting his girlfriend, rejecting his claims of insufficient evidence, jury instruction errors, and ineffective counsel.
Gates v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia ruled that police violated a driver's constitutional right to privacy by using an ex parte court order, rather than a warrant, to obtain his hospital medical records after a car crash.