Georgia CommonsCourt opinions
Georgia Supreme Court decisions with plain-language summaries. Browse by year and case type, or search by case name.
Bailey v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a Chatham County man's felony murder conviction, ruling his trial lawyer's failure to challenge a cell phone search warrant did not undermine confidence in the trial's outcome.
Crawford v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld Bobby Crawford's malice murder conviction for beating his roommate to death, rejecting his self-defense claim and finding any error in admitting his prior conviction was harmless.
Ellison v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a Hall County man's felony murder conviction for shooting his cousin, rejecting claims of inconsistent jury verdicts, prosecutorial misconduct, and unpreserved trial errors.
In the Matter of Darryl J. Ferguson
The Supreme Court of Georgia dismissed an attorney discipline case against a personal injury lawyer, ruling the State Bar failed to prove he improperly withheld settlement money owed to a chiropractor who treated his clients.
In the Matter of Leonard Richard Medley, III
The Supreme Court of Georgia accepted attorney Leonard Richard Medley III's request to give up his law license after he pleaded guilty to a federal wire fraud conspiracy charge, a move equivalent to disbarment.
Kelly v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a Dougherty County man's murder convictions for shooting his wife, ruling the circumstantial evidence was enough to disprove suicide and that his trial lawyers were not ineffective.
Larkins v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld Matthew Larkins's murder conviction in the shooting death of Shanna Smith, rejecting challenges to the accomplice's testimony, a jury instruction, his lawyer's performance, hearsay evidence, and the prosecutor's closing argument strategy.
Malcolm v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a Fulton County man's convictions for felony murder and other crimes tied to a gang retaliation shooting, rejecting claims about the evidence, his lawyer's strategy, and a juror.
McFarland v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld Travis McFarland's convictions for felony murder and gang crimes in a fatal LaGrange robbery, finding sufficient evidence of gang motive and no error in denying a self-defense jury instruction.
Miller v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia sent a man's decades-old life sentence for felony murder back to a Cherokee County judge, ruling the judge should have considered whether the punishment is unconstitutionally excessive rather than dismissing the claim outright.
Monroe v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld the murder conviction of a Fulton County woman whose nine-month-old grandson died of methamphetamine toxicity, rejecting her claims that the evidence was insufficient and that her trial lawyer was ineffective.
Nuckles v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld the denial of a Cherokee County man's bid, filed nearly 13 years after his guilty plea, to void his conviction and withdraw the plea, finding each request untimely or legally unavailable.
Painter v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a Fulton County man's murder conviction for killing his father, ruling the trial judge was right to refuse jury instructions on an insanity defense because there was no evidence to support it.
Ragland v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a DeKalb County man's murder and armed robbery convictions, rejecting arguments about limited cross-examination, a jailhouse recording, and claims his trial lawyer was ineffective.
Shine v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld the denial of a Bibb County man's third attempt at an out-of-time appeal from his 2006 murder plea, ruling his ineffective-assistance claim had already been rejected in an earlier habeas case.
Smith v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld Alex Khalil Smith's murder conviction in the shooting of Cassandra Arnold but sent the case back because the trial judge never actually used his own discretion to decide whether the verdict deserved a new trial.
Sneed v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld Calvin Sneed's murder conviction for shooting Gregory Jones, rejecting claims his trial lawyer was ineffective, but sent the case back to fix sentencing errors on two firearm counts.
Spann v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld Morris Charles Spann's murder conviction in the shooting death of his mother, finding the trial evidence, including witness testimony and gunshot residue, was enough for the jury to find him guilty.
Badie v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld Maurice Badie's murder conviction stemming from a 2008 street gunfight, rejecting claims about insufficient evidence, a co-defendant's later guilty plea, jury instructions, and his lawyer's performance.
Bodie v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a DeKalb County woman's murder conviction, rejecting claims that her lawyer should have sought an accident instruction and that the judge erred by not giving one.