Georgia CommonsCourt opinions
Georgia Supreme Court decisions with plain-language summaries. Browse by year and case type, or search by case name.
Perez v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld Jesus Perez's convictions for malice murder, armed robbery, and concealing a death, rejecting his claims that the evidence was insufficient and that his police statement and crime photos were wrongly admitted.
Robinson v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a Savannah man's felony murder conviction for the death of his girlfriend's four-year-old daughter, but vacated one child cruelty count because it duplicated another conviction for the same act.
Russell v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld Michael Keith Russell's malice murder conviction for killing his girlfriend Christy Waller, finding his police statements were voluntary, but it ordered one aggravated assault charge merged into the murder count and fixed a sentencing paperwork error.
Scott v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a Fulton County man's murder conviction, rejecting his claims that the evidence was insufficient, that the indictment did not match the trial evidence, and that his trial lawyer was ineffective.
Snipes v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld the malice murder conviction of a Pike County woman for the death of a two-year-old boy in her care, rejecting challenges to the evidence, the jury instructions, and her trial lawyers' performance.
State v. Abbott
The Supreme Court of Georgia sent a Richmond County murder case back to the trial court a second time, ruling that the judge again failed to use the required legal test for deciding whether a defendant's statements to police after Miranda warnings can be used at trial.
Subar v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a DeKalb County man's murder conviction for a fatal home invasion, rejecting his claims of ineffective counsel and improper prior-crimes evidence.
Wallace v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a Ware County man's felony murder conviction, ruling the evidence was sufficient and that his lawyer's failure to object to a recorded statement did not prejudice him.
Anderson v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld Dexter Anderson's felony murder conviction for shooting his girlfriend, rejecting claims about a missing trial transcript, a missing jury instruction, and ineffective defense counsel.
Brooks v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a Fulton County man's murder conviction but threw out one firearm charge because the state never proved his prior felony involved a gun, sending that count back for resentencing.
Campbell-Williams v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a Gwinnett County woman's felony murder conviction for stabbing her boyfriend, finding no error in the jury instructions and no ineffective assistance by her trial lawyer.
Clay v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a Gwinnett County man's murder conviction for shooting his neighbor through a motel door, rejecting his pro se claims of trial errors, perjured testimony, and appellate delay.
Harris v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld Robert Harris's murder conviction and rejected his ineffective assistance and continuance claims, but ruled the trial court wrongly sentenced him separately for aggravated assault and aggravated battery against the same victim.
Hodges v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a Coffee County man's murder conviction, rejecting his argument that the trial judge used the wrong legal standard in denying his motion for a new trial.
Kim v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a Gwinnett County man's murder convictions for killing a couple who had rehired him, but ordered two aggravated battery sentences erased because they should have merged with the murder counts.
Perry v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a Liberty County man's guilty plea to murder, rejecting his claim that he did not understand the law well enough for the plea to count as voluntary.
Reeves v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld Kevin Reeves's murder conviction from a deadly house party shootout, rejecting his claims about being excluded from bench conferences, but found sentencing errors that should have merged some assault and robbery convictions.
Roberts v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia ruled that a woman convicted in federal court for stealing medical-grade liquid silicone can still face state murder and battery charges over the same death, because the state and federal crimes required proof of different facts.
SYNOVUS BANK D/B/A FIRST COMMUNITY BANK OF TIFTON v. KELLEY
The Supreme Court of Georgia ruled that a judgment creditor does not get a lien on a debtor's real property until the judgment is actually recorded in the county where the property sits, not when the judgment is first entered by a court.
Studivant v. State
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a Hall County man's murder conviction for shooting a man during a drug deal, rejecting challenges to the evidence, a vehicle search, and his lawyer's decision not to call an alibi witness.