Georgia CommonsCourt opinions
Georgia Supreme Court decisions with plain-language summaries. Browse by year and case type, or search by case name.
In the Matter of W. McCall Calhoun, Jr
The Supreme Court of Georgia suspended attorney W. McCall Calhoun, Jr. from practicing law pending his appeal of federal convictions tied to the January 6, 2021 Capitol breach, rejecting his argument that a bench trial verdict does not count as a conviction under bar rules.
Neason v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia affirmed a Fulton County man's murder conviction, ruling that eyewitness testimony, gunshot residue evidence, and his flight from the scene were enough for the jury to find him guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Thomas v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a Gwinnett County man's felony murder convictions in a fatal DUI-related car crash, rejecting his argument that he should have been sentenced only for the lesser crime of homicide by vehicle.
Jenkins v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia reversed Larry Jenkins's double murder convictions, ruling that his clear request for a lawyer while being booked into jail was a valid invocation of his Miranda rights, even though a formal interrogation had not yet begun.
Regan v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia struck down as applied a felony child molestation sentence, ruling that a 17-year-old defendant should have qualified for a misdemeanor sentence like those convicted of aggravated child molestation against a same-age victim.
ROOKS v. THE STATE (Two Cases)
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld the murder convictions of Joshua Rooks and Quatez Clark for the killing of Christopher Dean, rejecting arguments that the evidence was too weak and that prejudicial other-crimes evidence was wrongly admitted.
Bell v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia reversed a woman's conviction for felony contributing to the dependency of a minor, ruling there was not enough evidence that her actions caused her infant daughter's death after her boyfriend killed the child.
Eubanks v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a woman's felony murder conviction for the heroin overdose death of her boyfriend's disabled sister, finding that keeping heroin in a home with a vulnerable resident created a foreseeable risk of death.
Hardy v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a Gwinnett County man's murder conviction, rejecting his claims that his trial lawyer was ineffective for not presenting certain character evidence or requesting a jury instruction.
In the Matter of Marsha Williams Mignott
The Supreme Court of Georgia dismissed disciplinary charges against attorney Marsha Williams Mignott, ruling that the professional conduct rules she was accused of breaking apply only to actual clients, not to someone who merely consulted her but never hired her.
ROOKS v. THE STATE (Two Cases)
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld the murder and gang convictions of Joshua Rooks and Quatez Clark for their roles in a planned killing of Christopher Dean, finding the evidence and trial rulings sound.
STATE OF GEORGIA v. SISTERSONG WOMEN OF COLOR REPRODUCTIVE JUSTICE COLLECTIVE
The Supreme Court of Georgia ruled that Georgia's six-week abortion ban cannot be struck down as having been unconstitutional when passed just because it conflicted with Roe v. Wade, which the U.S. Supreme Court later overruled in Dobbs.
MCBRAYER v. SCARBROUGH
The Supreme Court of Georgia ruled that a sheriff's deputies can 'use' a patrol car for purposes of a wrongful death lawsuit even if the car is parked and not actively driven, reversing a narrower Court of Appeals ruling.
Bowman v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld Torry Bowman's murder conviction in a Fulton County bar shooting, rejecting his challenges to jury instructions and to how the trial court handled his stipulation about a prior felony conviction.
Caldwell v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a Gwinnett County man's felony murder conviction for a drug deal shooting, rejecting his claims that the jury instructions were flawed and that the jury's verdicts contradicted each other.
In THE MATTER OF RYAN CURTIS CLEVELAND (Two Cases)
The Supreme Court of Georgia disbarred Ryan Curtis Cleveland after he abandoned eight clients, including a father seeking custody visits and indigent defendants in jail, and then failed to respond to the State Bar's discipline process.
In the Matter of David Carleton Head
The Supreme Court of Georgia rejected the State Bar's request to publicly reprimand attorney David Carleton Head for abandoning a client, finding the Bar had not explained his three prior disciplinary offenses enough to judge how serious they were.
Jones v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld Xavier Jones's felony murder conviction for shooting Christopher Crumby during a planned robbery, but ruled the trial court should have merged his aggravated assault conviction into the murder count.
Kimbro v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a Fulton County man's murder and rape convictions in a 2009 motel killing solved years later through DNA matching, rejecting claims about trial delay, closing argument, and his lawyer's performance.
Kinlaw v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld Harold Dean Kinlaw's murder conviction and life sentence, rejecting his challenges to the aggravated stalking evidence, jury instructions, an interpreter dispute, and jury selection issues.