Georgia CommonsCourt opinions
Georgia Supreme Court decisions with plain-language summaries. Browse by year and case type, or search by case name.
MILLER v. GOLDEN PEANUT COMPANY, LLC
The Supreme Court of Georgia ruled that investigating police officers who give expert opinions about how a crash happened must pass the same reliability test as any other expert witness, not a looser standard once used for officers.
Mitchell v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a Fulton County man's murder and armed robbery convictions, ruling the trial judge properly allowed evidence of a 2015 robbery and that his trial lawyer was not ineffective for not pursuing a self-defense claim.
Morris v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a Fulton County man's murder conviction, ruling that recorded statements from co-defendants and the man's own jailhouse phone calls gave the jury enough evidence to find he fired the fatal shot.
Moulder v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld Joshua Moulder's murder and armed robbery convictions from a 2006 Cobb County shooting, rejecting his claims that the evidence was insufficient and that his trial lawyer was ineffective.
Owens v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a Fulton County man's felony murder conviction, ruling that a firearm possession charge tied to his first-offender probation status did not have to merge into a lesser voluntary manslaughter verdict.
Randolph v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld James Randolph's murder and armed robbery convictions from a 2000 hotel shooting, finding an accomplice's testimony was sufficiently backed up by other evidence and that any evidence errors were harmless.
Reese v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a Fulton County man's murder conviction, rejecting his claims that the trial judge should have instructed jurors on self-defense and accomplice testimony and that his trial lawyer was ineffective.
SMITH v. HI-TECH PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.; And Vice Versa
The Supreme Court of Georgia denied further review in a dispute between Smith and Hi-Tech Pharmaceuticals, but Justice Pinson wrote separately to question how much of the federal 'primary jurisdiction' doctrine truly belongs in Georgia law.
Whittaker v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a Walker County man's murder conviction, finding the evidence of a brutal stabbing supported malice murder over voluntary manslaughter and that his trial lawyer's strategic choices were not ineffective.
Young v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld Tomarkus Young's felony murder conviction in the shooting death of Richard Anderson, rejecting his claims about insufficient evidence, jury selection, and ineffective legal representation.
In the Matter of Andrew Matteson
The Supreme Court of Georgia accepted attorney Andrew Matteson's renewed petition for a six-month suspension, made retroactive to April 2019, after he provided proof of mental health treatment and that he repaid clients harmed by his misconduct.
In the Matter of Ramon David Sammons Jr
The Supreme Court of Georgia vacated a default judgment entered against an attorney facing disbarment, ruling he was not actually in default because he answered the complaint promptly after finally being personally served.
In the Matter of Susan Janette Lopez
The Supreme Court of Georgia accepted an attorney's request to give up her law license after she pleaded guilty to a felony stalking charge, a step the court treats the same as disbarment.
Inquiry Concerning Judge Christian Coomer
The Supreme Court of Georgia ordered the removal of Court of Appeals Judge Christian Coomer, finding he acted in bad faith by exploiting an elderly client and misusing campaign funds, undermining public confidence in judicial integrity.
Inquiry Concerning Judge Gerald Johnson
The Supreme Court of Georgia dismissed judicial discipline charges against a former Habersham County magistrate judge after he resigned, ruling it could not remove him from an office he no longer held.
In the Matter of Keith Chance Hardy
The Supreme Court of Georgia disbarred attorney Keith Chance Hardy after finding he stole client funds, abandoned three clients' cases, and never responded to the State Bar's investigation.
In THE INTEREST OF R. J. A., a Child
The Supreme Court of Georgia declined to review a Court of Appeals ruling on when a jailed juvenile counts as 'detained' for speedy-indictment purposes, but Justice Pinson wrote separately to question whether courts should look beyond published opinions to old case files to figure out what a prior ruling actually decided.
In THE INTEREST OF R. J. A., a Child
The Supreme Court of Georgia refused to review a Court of Appeals ruling that a Fulton County-area teenager's criminal case belonged in superior court, not juvenile court, because he was on bond rather than detained when the deadline passed.
Allen v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a Fayette County man's felony murder conviction, ruling that he was not entitled to pretrial immunity for self-defense and that the evidence supported the jury's rejection of his self-defense claim.
In the Matter of Richard H. Middleton, Jr
The Supreme Court of Georgia accepted a Savannah lawyer's request to give up his law license after he admitted improperly keeping a client's $100,000 settlement money in his trust account for personal use.