Georgia CommonsCourt opinions
Georgia Supreme Court decisions with plain-language summaries. Browse by year and case type, or search by case name.
In the Matter of Gregory Bartko
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a decision denying disbarred attorney Gregory Bartko a waiver that would have let him seek certification to practice law while still serving a federal prison sentence at home.
In the Matter of Leonard T. Mathis
The Supreme Court of Georgia accepted an Atlanta-area lawyer's petition for discipline over trust account mismanagement, imposing a public reprimand after he admitted his client trust account was overdrawn when a client tried to cash a settlement check.
Lane v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a Fulton County man's felony murder conviction in a fatal Krystal restaurant robbery, rejecting his claims about a polygraph mention and his lawyer's performance at trial.
Overstreet v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a Ben Hill County man's convictions for murder and gang crimes in a lottery winner's shooting death, rejecting claims about weak evidence, prejudicial testimony, and his lawyer's failure to seek a new trial location.
Parrott v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a five-year prison resentencing for a man convicted of felony fleeing from police, rejecting his claims that the sentencing law discriminates against poor defendants and that resentencing him twice violated double jeopardy protections.
Steen v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a Burke County man's malice murder conviction but sent his case back to the trial court because it never ruled on his claim that he was wrongly excluded from bench conferences during jury selection.
Tyson v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia affirmed LeMichael Tyson's felony murder conviction in the death of his girlfriend's 22-month-old daughter, rejecting claims about juror bias, missing trial transcripts, appellate delay, and ineffective defense lawyering.
Anglin v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld Daniel Anglin's murder conviction for killing his brother-in-law Chad Ruark, rejecting arguments about insufficient evidence, a late disclosure about another suspect, and claims his lawyer should have objected to a GBI agent's testimony.
CL SNF, LLC v. FOUNTAIN
The Supreme Court of Georgia ruled that a legal guardian for an incapacitated adult has authority under Georgia's guardianship law to sign a pre-dispute arbitration agreement when doing so is reasonably necessary to secure care for the ward.
Cooper Tire & Rubber Company v. McCall
The Supreme Court of Georgia ruled that Cooper Tire, a Delaware company doing business in Georgia, can be sued here for a Florida car crash simply because it registered to do business in the state, reaffirming a nearly 30-year-old precedent.
Crawford v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld Gerrod Crawford's felony murder conviction in a Fulton County shooting, ruling the evidence was enough to convict him as a party to the crime and that his lawyer's failure to object to an improper closing argument did not change the trial's outcome.
Dunn v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld Darius Dunn's murder and gang-terrorism convictions, ruling the evidence linked his robbery of Anthony Tavarez to his gang's interests and that any evidence errors were harmless.
Johnson v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld Raphael Johnson's murder and related convictions from a 2013 gambling house shooting and a restaurant shooting, but ordered one gun-possession count vacated because it should have merged with another conviction.
Mahdi v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld the murder conviction of a Fayette County man found guilty but mentally ill of stabbing his stepfather, rejecting his pro se claims of due process violations and ineffective counsel.
McIntyre v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a Tift County man's felony murder and conspiracy convictions in a botched armed robbery that left the victim dead, rejecting claims about the evidence, jury instructions, and his lawyer's performance.
Poole v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld Nashea Poole's felony murder and gang crime convictions, ruling that the evidence, including cell phone records and an accomplice's corroborated testimony, was enough for the jury to find her guilty.
Roberts v. Unison Behavioral Health
The Supreme Court of Georgia ruled that a car accident victim's pre-lawsuit notice to a state agency adequately described her injuries, reversing a Court of Appeals decision that had thrown out her case for lack of detail.
SCHMITZ v. BARRON, DIRECTOR
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld the dismissal of a Fulton County election contest over a Georgia House seat, ruling that the losing candidate had to be formally served with notice and failed to show he diligently pursued that service.
Tidwell v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld Tonya Tidwell's murder conviction, ruling the trial judge was right not to instruct the jury on mutual combat and correctly refused to suppress evidence found when police entered a mobile home without a warrant.
Washington v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a Fulton County man's murder conviction, finding his trial lawyer made a reasonable strategic choice not to challenge hotel surveillance and dashcam evidence that fit the defense's own story.