Georgia CommonsCourt opinions
Georgia Supreme Court decisions with plain-language summaries. Browse by year and case type, or search by case name.
State v. Randall
The Supreme Court of Georgia vacated a trial court order that had thrown out evidence of a DUI defendant's blood test refusal, finding the constitutional ruling was unnecessary once the State agreed the evidence would only be used to explain why no test results existed.
Willis v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld Stephen Willis's convictions in a Fulton County murder, robbery, and carjacking case, finding the circumstantial cell-phone and eyewitness evidence enough to convict and rejecting his ineffective-assistance claims.
Barber v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld Rashad Barber's murder conviction from a 2014 Atlanta gang shooting, ruling that an accomplice's testimony against him was sufficiently backed up by other evidence, including pawn shop video and phone records.
Beamon v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld Vernon Beamon's murder convictions for a 2016 DeKalb County double killing, finding the circumstantial evidence tying him to the crimes was strong enough for the jury to convict, and ruled his two firearm convictions did not have to merge.
Brookins v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld the murder convictions and death sentences of a Baldwin County man who killed his wife and stepdaughter, rejecting claims about jury care, expert testimony, and prosecutorial arguments.
In the Matter of Edward Hine, Jr
The Supreme Court of Georgia accepted attorney Edward Hine, Jr.'s request to permanently give up his law license after he admitted mishandling client and trust funds, an outcome equivalent to disbarment.
In the Matter of Franklin David McCrea
The Supreme Court of Georgia disbarred attorney Franklin David McCrea after finding he abandoned two clients and repeatedly ignored disciplinary proceedings against him.
In the Matter of Karen Lynn Pass
The Supreme Court of Georgia issued a public reprimand with conditions to attorney Karen Lynn Pass for mishandling client trust funds and failing to properly supervise a nonlawyer employee who stole client money.
In the Matter of Trent Lee Coggins
The Supreme Court of Georgia accepted a Valdosta lawyer's petition for a six-month suspension over trust account violations, retroactive to when he stopped practicing, and reinstated him immediately because the suspension period had already passed.
Jackson v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld Curtis Jackson's malice murder conviction, finding that a missing jury instruction on accomplice testimony was not likely to have changed the verdict and that Jackson suffered no harm from a juror dispute that was ultimately resolved in his favor.
Lee v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld Harvey Lee's murder conviction, rejecting his claims that his trial lawyers were constitutionally ineffective for not objecting to evidence about the victim's good character, a family photo, and comments on his silence during a police interview.
Lowe v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a Gwinnett County man's murder conviction, ruling that his 2015 domestic violence charges were properly tried together with his wife's 2017 murder, but ordered his sentence fixed because he was wrongly sentenced on two felony murder counts for one death.
Park v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a Gwinnett County man's malice murder conviction for a fatal stabbing after a parking lot brawl, rejecting claims about a missing jury instruction and ineffective trial counsel.
Pritchett v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a Gilmer County man's malice murder conviction, ruling that although the trial court wrongly allowed evidence of his past behavior, the mistake did not affect the jury's verdict given the strong evidence against him.
Watts v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a Fulton County man's felony murder and related convictions, ruling the evidence was enough to convict him and that his confession to police was properly admitted at trial.
SCOTT K. CAMP v. RYAN CHRISTOPHER WILLIAMS
The Supreme Court of Georgia ruled that a Douglas County election board wrongly let a substitute Democratic candidate onto the general election ballot for Chief Magistrate Judge because he never properly qualified to run.
BUCKNER-WEBB v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia ruled that a trial judge's refusal to let an attorney withdraw over a conflict of interest cannot be immediately appealed, and upheld the dismissal of an appeal by former Atlanta Public Schools educators convicted in the test-cheating scandal.
Downer v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld William Douglas Downer's felony murder and armed robbery convictions, rejecting arguments about accomplice testimony, custodial statements, hearsay, withheld evidence about a jailhouse wedding, and denied DNA testing.
In the Matter of Joseph Arrington II
The Supreme Court of Georgia disbarred attorney Joseph Arrington II for repeatedly misusing his trust account, including depositing personal funds and making cash withdrawals from money that was supposed to be held for clients.
Jones v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia affirmed a man's murder conviction for a fatal 2015 shooting in Augusta, ruling that a shotgun shell found in his back yard was properly seized while officers executed a valid arrest warrant.