Georgia CommonsCourt opinions
Georgia Supreme Court decisions with plain-language summaries. Browse by year and case type, or search by case name.
Ward, Comr. v. Medina
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a ruling that a Wheeler County man's guilty plea to armed robbery and aggravated assault was involuntary, because he was told he faced far more prison time than the law actually allowed and was hinted that a trial would go worse for him.
Williams v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a Fulton County man's murder conviction, rejecting claims that the trial court mishandled evidence rulings and that his trial lawyer was constitutionally ineffective.
In the Matter of Sawand Palmer
The Supreme Court of Georgia reinstated attorney Sawand Palmer to practice law after finding he had met the conditions the court had set for his return to the State Bar of Georgia.
Bacon v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld Nicholas Bacon's murder conviction for shooting his mother, ruling that any error in excluding a defense gun expert's testimony was harmless and that his trial lawyer was not ineffective for not calling that expert as a lay witness instead.
Boles v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a father's felony murder conviction for the death of his three-year-old daughter, finding the evidence sufficient and rejecting his argument that jailhouse interviews with child welfare workers required Miranda warnings.
Ingram v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld Tyree Ingram's murder conviction in a Milledgeville drug deal shooting, ruling that even where trial counsel made mistakes, the evidence of guilt was too strong for those mistakes to have changed the outcome.
McCalop v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a DeKalb County woman's murder conviction in the stabbing death of her boyfriend, rejecting challenges to expert testimony about battered person syndrome and a ruling that a defense witness opened the door to bad-character evidence.
Perrault v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia affirmed the murder conviction of a former Eatonton police officer, finding sufficient evidence that he killed his wife despite his claim she shot herself, and rejecting his other trial arguments.
Saylor v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld Tavaughn Saylor's murder conviction and related crimes in the killing of a Gwinnett County teenager, rejecting his claims about insufficient evidence, a wrongly denied severance motion, jury selection, and a gang charge.
Session v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld Derrick Session's convictions for failing to register as a sex offender based on a Louisiana conviction, rejecting his claims that Georgia's registry law violated his rights to travel, equal protection, and a state constitutional protection against social status legislation.
State v. Williams
The Supreme Court of Georgia sent a Telfair County murder case back to the trial court, ruling it used the wrong reasoning when it barred prosecutors from telling jurors about a prior domestic violence incident involving the defendant.
THANH TAN PHUNG v. ASHLEY HART
The Supreme Court of Georgia declined to review a Court of Appeals ruling that revived a pedestrian's personal injury lawsuit, even though a concurring Justice said the appellate court had likely misread key deposition testimony.
Fuller v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld Brandon Fuller's malice murder conviction, rejecting his claim that his trial lawyer's handling of evidence, jury instructions, and closing argument amounted to ineffective assistance.
Brock v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a man's murder conviction in the beating death of Marlene Murray, ruling that any error in admitting testimony about a prior assault on his girlfriend was harmless given the strength of the other evidence against him.
Fuller v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a Chatham County man's murder conviction, ruling that his trial lawyer's strategic choices about evidence and jury instructions did not amount to ineffective assistance.
Harris v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a Camden County man's felony murder conviction, ruling the trial court properly denied him self-defense immunity and that admitting a single photo of the victim was not reversible error.
In the Matter of Claud L. McIver III
The Supreme Court of Georgia accepted a petition from attorney Claud L. McIver III to voluntarily surrender his law license, a move equivalent to disbarment, after his felony conviction for influencing a witness was upheld on appeal.
In the Matter of Jason Lee Van Dyke
The Supreme Court of Georgia imposed a three-year suspension on Texas lawyer Jason Lee Van Dyke for pleading no contest to filing a false police report, backdated so he is effectively reinstated immediately.
In the Matter of Natalie Spires Paine
The Supreme Court of Georgia cleared former Augusta prosecutor Natalie Spires Paine of ethics violations tied to recordings of privileged attorney-client meetings, siding with the special master over a disciplinary review board that had recommended a six-month suspension.
Martin v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a Chatham County man's felony murder conviction, ruling that phone records, surveillance video, and physical evidence gave the jury enough to find him guilty as a party to the crime.