Georgia CommonsCourt opinions
Georgia Supreme Court decisions with plain-language summaries. Browse by year and case type, or search by case name.
Priester v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a Cobb County man's murder conviction for shooting a restaurant worker at a gas station, ruling that even if some prior-crime evidence was wrongly admitted, it did not affect the verdict given the strength of the other evidence.
Williams v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a Coffee County man's malice murder conviction, rejecting his claim that video and witness evidence showed he acted in self-defense when he shot an unarmed-at-the-moment victim.
In the Matter of David John Pettinato
The Supreme Court of Georgia reinstated attorney David John Pettinato to practice law after finding he had satisfied all conditions the court had previously set for his return to the bar.
In the Matter of David John Pettinato
The Supreme Court of Georgia reinstated attorney David John Pettinato to practice law after finding he had met the conditions the court had previously set for his return to the bar.
In the Matter of Willie George Davis, Jr
The Supreme Court of Georgia ordered attorney Willie George Davis Jr. disbarred after finding he mishandled his sister's estate and his orphaned nephew's trust funds and repeatedly defied probate court orders.
Meadows v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a DeKalb County man's murder conviction, rejecting his claims about insufficient evidence and prosecutorial misconduct, but vacated a separate sentence the trial court wrongly imposed for aggravated assault.
Nundra v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a Decatur County man's murder conviction, ruling that even if the trial judge made mistakes admitting evidence, the overwhelming proof of guilt made those mistakes harmless.
Taylor v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld Malik Taylor's felony murder conviction for a fatal drive-by shooting, rejecting his claim that the trial judge's self-defense instruction wrongly suggested he had to prove he acted in self-defense.
The STATE v. SASS GROUP, LLC (Two Cases)
The Supreme Court of Georgia ruled that hemp product sellers could not sue the State for a declaratory judgment while also suing a district attorney individually in the same lawsuit, requiring the whole case to be dismissed.
Inquiry Concerning Judge Christian Coomer
The Supreme Court of Georgia sent a judicial discipline case against Court of Appeals Judge Christian Coomer back to the JQC Hearing Panel, ruling it used the wrong legal standards to recommend his removal.
Johnson v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia overruled its own longstanding rule that any court filing a defendant makes on his own while represented by a lawyer is automatically void, and gave trial courts discretion to accept such filings in narrow circumstances.
TAYLOR, EXR. v. THE DEVEREUX FOUNDATION, INC. (And Vice Versa)
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld Georgia's $250,000 cap on punitive damages in a sexual assault case against a Georgia treatment facility, ruling the cap does not violate the right to a jury trial, separation of powers, or equal protection.
The STATE v. SASS GROUP, LLC (Two Cases)
The Supreme Court of Georgia ruled that a lawsuit against the State seeking declaratory relief under a new constitutional waiver of sovereign immunity must be dismissed entirely if it also names another defendant, like a prosecutor sued individually.
Williams v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a Toombs County man's murder conviction for the shooting death of a coworker, rejecting his claims that the evidence was too weak and that jurors should have been told about a coercion defense.
Allaben v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a DeKalb County man's third murder conviction for strangling his wife, finding the evidence supported malice murder and that the crime was properly tried in DeKalb County.
Behl v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a Chatham County man's felony murder conviction, ruling that the trial judge was not obviously wrong to skip a voluntary manslaughter instruction and that his discovery access complaint was never properly raised.
Hood v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a Decatur County man's guilty plea to malice murder despite his claim his lawyer misled him about parole eligibility, but corrected two sentencing errors and sent the case back for resentencing.
In the Matter of Dana Nicole Jackson
The Supreme Court of Georgia disbarred an attorney who collected debt payments for clients but never turned the money over to them or responded to their requests for updates.
In the Matter of David John Pettinato
The Supreme Court of Georgia imposed a ten-day suspension on attorney David John Pettinato, matching discipline he already received in Florida for misrepresenting an appraiser's independence and for failing to promptly correct false deposition testimony.
In the Matter of L. Nicole Hamilton
The Supreme Court of Georgia imposed a six-month suspension on attorney L. Nicole Hamilton for failing to promptly refund an unearned legal fee and delaying payment of a fee arbitration award to a former client.