Georgia CommonsCourt opinions
Georgia Supreme Court decisions with plain-language summaries. Browse by year and case type, or search by case name.
OCONEE COUNTY v. CANNON
The Supreme Court of Georgia ruled that whether a lawsuit can be redirected to a new defendant after a deadline passes depends on what that new defendant knew, not on what the person suing knew or whether their mistake was legal or factual.
Harper v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a Fulton County man's murder conviction in the killing of his girlfriend, ruling his police interviews were properly admitted at trial and were not the product of an unlawful custodial interrogation or invalid arrest.
Nesby v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a DeKalb County man's murder conviction, ruling that unrecorded bench conferences held outside his presence during trial did not violate his constitutional right to be present.
Palmer v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a Savannah man's murder conviction, rejecting his challenges to the search of his apartment, the exclusion of possible alibi testimony, and his claim that his trial lawyer was ineffective.
Johnson v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld Sharod Johnson's murder conviction for a fatal Ingles grocery store armed robbery, rejecting his claims about a witness's silence on the stand and about phone, house, and car searches.
Armstrong v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld Jhakeem Armstrong's murder conviction, ruling that gang evidence used to establish his motive was properly admitted and that any related errors did not affect the trial's outcome.
Boone v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia vacated a trial court order that had denied Odeirrick Boone's request for an out-of-time appeal, ruling he was entitled to a hearing on whether his plea lawyer failed to tell him about his appeal rights.
Doricien v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a Valdosta man's felony murder conviction, rejecting his self-defense claim and his arguments that his statements to police should have been thrown out.
Flanders v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia ruled that a trial court can consider a claim raised in an amended motion to withdraw a guilty plea even if the amendment came after the term of court ended, as long as the original motion was timely filed.
Guzman-Perez v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a Gwinnett County man's murder conviction in the death of his wife, finding the circumstantial evidence sufficient and rejecting his claim that his lawyer should have hired a forensic expert.
In the Matter of Christopher John Palazzola
The Supreme Court of Georgia suspended Atlanta attorney Christopher Palazzola from practicing law, but since he had already voluntarily stopped practicing on June 1, 2020, the suspension was backdated and he was immediately reinstated with conditions requiring a law practice management review.
Knighton v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a teenager's murder conviction in a fatal stabbing, ruling that a trial judge's interruptions of closing argument to correct legal misstatements did not deny the defendant a fair trial.
Lynn v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld James Lynn's murder conviction for killing his wife Tonya with a baseball bat, rejecting his claims of trial error and ineffective counsel, but voided his separate aggravated assault sentence because it should have merged into the murder conviction.
MARTIN v. THE STATE (Two Cases)
The Supreme Court of Georgia affirmed the murder and aggravated assault convictions of Dreshaun Martin and Tori Byrd, rejecting claims about a botched robbery plan, a mistrial motion, and multiple ineffective-assistance-of-counsel arguments.
Nuckles v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia ruled that a hidden camera video from a nursing home patient's room can be used as evidence against a nurse charged in his death, because the patient counted as an occupier of the property and the nurse had no reasonable expectation of privacy while working there.
Thomas v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a Houston County man's murder convictions for a double shooting outside a club, rejecting challenges to a jailhouse informant's testimony, photo lineups, and a denied mistrial motion.
Beck v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld Dallas Beck's felony murder conviction for a second time, ruling that the trial judge properly rejected claims that jurors improperly discussed sentencing during deliberations.
Carter v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a Crisp County man's murder conviction, rejecting his self-defense claim and finding that his trial lawyer's failure to challenge certain testimony did not amount to ineffective assistance.
Clark v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia sent a Polk County murder case back to the trial court because it rejected a man's request for a delayed appeal without first holding a hearing on his claim that his plea lawyer was ineffective.
Cole v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia vacated a trial court's denial of a man's request for a late appeal of his 1991 guilty plea to murder, ruling the judge had to first hold a hearing on whether his plea lawyer's failures cost him his appeal rights.