Georgia CommonsCourt opinions
Georgia Supreme Court decisions with plain-language summaries. Browse by year and case type, or search by case name.
Davis v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a Fulton County man's felony murder conviction, rejecting claims that the evidence was too thin, his lawyer was ineffective, and the state hid or mishandled fingerprint evidence.
Head v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a Fulton County man's felony murder conviction, ruling that his accomplice's testimony was sufficiently backed up by other evidence and that any error in admitting a detective's disputed testimony was harmless.
In THE MATTER OF IAN ZIMMERMAN (Five Cases)
The Supreme Court of Georgia disbarred attorney Ian Zimmerman after he failed to respond to five separate State Bar disciplinary complaints accusing him of mishandling client settlement funds and misleading clients and other attorneys.
In the Matter of Brian Walton Whiteside
The Supreme Court of Georgia imposed a three-month suspension on Gwinnett County's former Solicitor-General, Brian Walton Whiteside, for mishandling a friend's medical malpractice and divorce cases before he took office.
In the Matter of Craig S. Bonnell
The Supreme Court of Georgia refused to accept a proposed public reprimand for an attorney who abandoned a client's guardianship case, saying the State Bar had not shown that punishment fit the misconduct.
In the Matter of David Roberson
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a decision denying David Roberson's application to be readmitted to the State Bar of Georgia, finding he failed to show he was rehabilitated or had paid full restitution.
Knox v. State of Georgia
The Supreme Court of Georgia ruled that a lawsuit by five University System professors challenging Georgia's 2017 'campus carry' law was moot, because the Board of Regents itself adopted a policy allowing guns on campus consistent with that law.
Perez v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld Geovanni Perez's felony murder conviction in a Gwinnett County drug-robbery shooting, ruling the evidence was sufficient and that police search warrants for his phone and home were valid.
Price v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a Dougherty County man's murder convictions in a double shooting, rejecting his claims that the evidence was too weak and that the trial court should have separated the drug charge from the murder trial.
RAFFENSPERGER v. JACKSON (And Vice Versa)
The Supreme Court of Georgia struck down Georgia's Lactation Consultant Practice Act, ruling that limiting paid lactation care work to those with a private IBCLC certification violates the state constitution's due process protections for pursuing a lawful occupation.
SOUTHERN STATES CHEMICAL, INC. v. TAMPA TANK AND WELDING, INC
The Supreme Court of Georgia ruled that a 2020 change to Georgia's construction statute of repose cannot be applied retroactively to revive Southern States Chemical's decade-old lawsuit over a leaky sulfuric acid tank, because the company that built the tank had a vested right to be free from the old claim.
Blalock v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld Dwight Blalock Jr.'s murder conviction, rejecting his arguments that the trial judge should have delayed his trial and that a witness improperly commented on his silence.
Jones v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld Bryan Jones's felony murder conviction, ruling that a mistaken jury instruction about prior bad acts was harmless and that his trial lawyer's strategic choices did not amount to ineffective assistance.
King v. King, Jr
The Supreme Court of Georgia answered a certified question from a federal appeals court, ruling that when someone in a confidential relationship with another person also owes them fiduciary duties, a dishonest failure to disclose can support a breach-of-fiduciary-duty lawsuit under Georgia law.
Moody v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld Jeremy Moody's death sentences for the 2007 rape and murder of two teenage cousins in Fulton County, rejecting all 13 claims he raised, including that his guilty plea was coerced.
O'neal v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld Ryan O'Neal's murder conviction for the shooting of Joseph Jackson during a drug deal turned robbery, rejecting his claims about insufficient evidence, jury instructions, and his lawyer's performance.
Smith, Warden v. Chandler
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a grant of habeas corpus relief to a man convicted of child molestation, ruling his trial lawyer should have used the victim's own inconsistent hospital statements to challenge her credibility and his appellate lawyer should have raised that failure.
State v. Britton
The Supreme Court of Georgia reversed a trial court order that had thrown out cell phone location evidence in a Fulton County murder case, ruling the search warrant affidavit was neither false nor invalid.
State v. HARRIS (Two Cases)
The Supreme Court of Georgia ruled it had jurisdiction to hear the State's appeal in a Fulton County murder case despite the lack of written trial court orders, and sent the case back because the trial judge used the wrong legal tests to exclude key evidence.
WARD v. THE STATE (Two Cases)
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld the murder and aggravated assault convictions of two men who took part in a fatal prison stabbing, rejecting challenges to the evidence, courtroom security, witness restraints, and a prosecutor's private talk with a witness.