Georgia CommonsCourt opinions
Georgia Supreme Court decisions with plain-language summaries. Browse by year and case type, or search by case name.
Love v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a 16-year-old's murder conviction and life-without-parole sentence, finding his confession to police was voluntary and that the trial court properly determined he was irreparably corrupt.
MASSEY v. DUKE BUILDERS, INC
The Supreme Court of Georgia ruled that a contractor's materialmen's lien against a homeowner's property cannot include profits the contractor expected to earn on unfinished work, but that including such profits only voids the improper portion, not the entire lien.
MENDEZ v. MOATS
The Supreme Court of Georgia dismissed its own review of a Polk County car-accident lawsuit, deciding the case was not a good vehicle to resolve confusion over how injury claims against county sheriffs must be filed.
Meheux v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia vacated a ruling on a murder defendant's motion for new trial because his original pro se motion was legally invalid and the later amended motion was filed far too late.
NORMAN v. XYTEX CORPORATION
The Supreme Court of Georgia ruled that a couple who bought sperm from a sperm bank cannot sue over the mere existence of their son, but can pursue fraud and consumer-protection claims tied to specific harms caused by the donor's concealed history.
Satterfield v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a Muscogee County man's felony murder conviction, finding the evidence sufficient and rejecting his claims that his trial lawyer was ineffective.
Welch v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld Todd Welch's murder and aggravated assault convictions from a 2014 Clayton County shooting, but ordered two of his sentences vacated because the trial court had failed to merge them correctly.
Barton-Smith v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a Rockdale County man's murder conviction, ruling that the trial judge was right to refuse a voluntary manslaughter instruction and did not improperly interfere with cross-examination of a key witness.
Butler v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia found that the evidence at trial was enough to convict Patrick Butler of murder, but vacated his convictions because the trial judge used the wrong legal test when allowing prosecutors to bring up his old obstruction conviction.
Cross v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia affirmed a Hall County man's 2003 murder conviction, rejecting his claims about excluded impeachment evidence, a missing jury charge, autopsy photos, and a crime scene video, and finding the long-delayed record was properly reconstructed.
Ellison v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a Dade County man's murder conviction, ruling that even if a DNA swab taken from him in jail was obtained improperly, it made no difference because the DNA did not match anything found at the crime scene.
Fisher v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld Ronald Fisher's murder conviction from his second trial, ruling the jury could find the key witness was not an accomplice and, even if he was, other evidence sufficiently backed his account of the shooting.
Harrison v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a Bacon County man's murder conviction, rejecting claims that his trial lawyer was ineffective, but corrected an error in how the trial court handled the related felony murder sentence.
INNOVATIVE IMAGES, LLC v. SUMMERVILLE
The Supreme Court of Georgia ruled that a mandatory arbitration clause in a law firm's engagement agreement is enforceable even if the lawyer never explained arbitration's pros and cons to the client, because such a clause is neither illegal nor unconscionable.
In the Matter of Dennis W. Hartley
The Supreme Court of Georgia disbarred a longtime lawyer after Colorado disbarred him for failing to report DUI convictions and mishandling client fees and cases, applying Georgia's rule that mirrors discipline imposed by another state.
In the Matter of Leighton Reid Berry, Jr
The Supreme Court of Georgia disbarred attorney Leighton Reid Berry, Jr. after he defaulted on State Bar disciplinary charges accusing him of failing to pay a client's medical provider and misappropriating settlement funds.
In the Matter of William Leslie Kirby, III
The Supreme Court of Georgia rejected a Cobb-area lawyer's third attempt to accept a light punishment for neglecting four clients, saying a proposed four-month suspension still was not enough given his repeated pattern of misconduct.
Long v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a Columbus mother's murder conviction in the death of her 18-month-old adopted daughter, ruling the evidence was enough for the jury to reject the idea that the child's father caused the fatal injuries.
Marshall v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld Terry Marshall's murder and attempted murder convictions but found the trial court made merger errors, vacating one firearm conviction and its sentence.
Parker v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a Fulton County man's murder conviction, rejecting his claims about a mistrial denial, a discovery ruling limiting his psychiatric expert, and ineffective assistance of his trial lawyer.