Georgia CommonsCourt opinions
Georgia Supreme Court decisions with plain-language summaries. Browse by year and case type, or search by case name.
Mathews v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a Fulton County man's murder and aggravated assault convictions in a 2001 apartment shooting over a rims sale, rejecting claims about the evidence, jury instructions, and his lawyer's performance.
Moore v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a mother's murder conviction in the death of her two-year-old son, ruling that the circumstantial evidence let the jury reasonably reject the idea that her boyfriend alone caused the fatal injury.
PHILLIPS v. JACKSON, JUDGE
The Supreme Court of Georgia ruled that a man contesting driving restrictions imposed on him as part of a speeding citation could not use a pretrial habeas corpus petition to challenge those restrictions because he still had another legal remedy available.
Payne v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a Fulton County man's malice murder conviction, finding that a missing jury instruction on accomplice testimony and various defense lawyer decisions did not likely change the trial's outcome.
Ruff v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld Tahj Ruff's felony murder conviction in a Sumter County shooting death, but sent the case back for resentencing because he was illegally punished twice for the same killing.
Walker v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a Richmond County man's murder conviction, rejecting his argument that the evidence, including his own police statement, was not enough to prove he shot and killed his roommate.
Wright v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld the denial of a Fulton County man's attempt to withdraw his guilty plea to malice murder, finding his plea lawyer had adequately explained his rights before sentencing.
In the Matter of Glen Roy Fagan
The Supreme Court of Georgia disbarred a former in-house lawyer who forged settlement documents and stole over $41,000 from his corporate employer's settlement funds while serving as its associate general counsel.
Brown v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a Berrien County man's murder conviction, rejecting his claims that the evidence was insufficient and that the trial court wrongly allowed leading questions and witness testimony.
Holland v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld Leonard Holland's 2008 murder conviction, rejecting his claims that his statements to police were improperly used and that his trial lawyer was ineffective.
In the Matter of Daniel Kirkland McCall
The Supreme Court of Georgia rejected an attorney's proposed six-month suspension for neglecting three clients, ruling that his mitigating claims, unpaid refund, and proposed reinstatement conditions did not support accepting the deal as offered.
McIver v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia reversed Tex McIver's felony murder conviction in the shooting death of his wife Diane, ruling the trial judge should have let jurors consider a lesser misdemeanor manslaughter charge.
Patterson v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a Bibb County man's felony murder conviction for beating a man who later died of complications, rejecting claims of ineffective legal counsel, improper impeachment of a witness, and newly discovered evidence.
SLOSBERG v. GILLER
The Supreme Court of Georgia ruled that a family trust's no-contest clause could not stop a son from challenging the trust for undue influence, and once a jury found the trust invalid, the clause and the entire document fell with it.
Sams v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld Tevin Sams's murder conviction for a fatal shooting into a Peach County apartment that killed eight-year-old Jai'mel Anderson, finding the evidence and accomplice testimony sufficient and any error in admitting his 2014 shooting conviction harmless.
Talley v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld Mario Talley's murder conviction in a fatal shooting at an Atlanta apartment, finding that any error in admitting testimony about a prior dispute between the victim and Talley was harmless and that his trial lawyer's decisions did not amount to ineffective assistance.
DOMINGUE v. FORD MOTOR COMPANY
The Supreme Court of Georgia ruled that Georgia's seatbelt statute does not bar evidence that a vehicle has seatbelts or evidence about seatbelt design and safety standards, but it does bar evidence that a crash victim failed to buckle up, even when a car maker raises it as a defense.
Byrd v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld Andre Byrd's murder conviction, ruling the trial court properly rejected three of his jury strikes as racially motivated and correctly followed the required legal steps before reseating those jurors.
Copeland v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a Gwinnett County man's convictions for murdering two men, rejecting his claims that the trial court lacked jurisdiction, that the evidence was insufficient, and that his cell phone records were searched without probable cause.
DOMINGUE v. FORD MOTOR COMPANY
The Supreme Court of Georgia ruled that Georgia's seatbelt statute only blocks evidence that a car occupant failed to buckle up, not evidence about a vehicle's restraint system design or federal safety compliance, but that the ban on seatbelt-nonuse evidence applies even to a car manufacturer's defense in a defective-design lawsuit.