Judicial Qualifications Commission May Have Overstepped
Georgia’s Judicial Qualifications Commission (JQC) focuses on judicial conduct, often providing Advisory Opinions on the subject. One of those opinions states that courtrooms should be open to the public and that judges may close hearings based on the aspects of individual cases. The Council of State Court Judges challenged the Commission’s 2013 opinion, which was […]
Blame for an Electrocution Rests with Georgia’s Supreme Court
A summary judgment is a means by which attorneys and courts avoid unnecessary trials when no contested issues of fact are present in the case. Such was the situation in Fulton County State Court when it sided with the defendant for summary judgment. The plaintiff, however, felt that the facts were in dispute and appealed […]
Significant Wrongful Death Case against Chrysler
A pickup truck rear-ended a 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee, causing the gas tank to explode which killed a four-year-old boy. Chrysler, the parent company now known as FCA US, contends that the driver of the truck was responsible, but jurors in the wrongful death case determined otherwise. The jury initially awarded $150 million to the […]
Hapeville Police Create Nightmare for Young Father
A young father missed a portion of his son’s life and lost both his job and his car because he spent 53 days in jail. He was absent for several holidays and his son’s birthday simply because of the careless performance of Hapeville police. The man sued the city and officer who falsely arrested him. […]
Georgia’s Appeals Court Decides on the Bring Your Gun to Work Act
If an employee, while on the job, inadvertently shoots you, can you sue the company for which he or she works? Georgia’s Court of Appeals says no in a recent ruling, siding with the trial court that came to the same conclusion. The issue revolves around O.C.G.A. § 16-11-135 or Georgia’s Business Security and Employee […]
False Statements Made to Cherokee County Police
Two defendants appeared before Cherokee Superior Court, charged with making false statements to the police. Both claimed that the Cherokee County Schools superintendent “sped by them in an aggressive manner and came very close to them, leaving them feeling threatened.” They asserted this claim to the police, but a detective retrieved a surveillance video from […]
Georgia’s Appeals Court Explains Double Jeopardy
Cherokee County State Court heard the case of a young defendant cited with failing to wear a seat belt and driving under the influence (DUI) while under the age of 21. After he was cited, the court clerk assigned different case numbers for each ticket. An assistant solicitor general (ASG) amended the seat belt citation, […]
New York Attorney General Tells Georgians to Keep Their Guns to Themselves
Police in New York have determined that 2,822 guns used in crimes in the state were bought in Georgia, and 2,711 of that number were handguns. Between the years of 2010 and 2015, The Peach State’s weapon contribution amounted to 13% of the total out-of-state guns used in New York. This information prompted New York’s […]
Ross Harris Trial
The jurors in Brunswick, Georgia have listened to four weeks of arguments regarding young Cooper Harris’s death. His father allegedly left the 22-month-old to suffer the stifling heat of his closed car in June of 2014. Ross Harris now must face the jury to offer his side of the story. Mr. Harris’s lawyer, noted criminal […]
Georgia Carry Fights for License Holders Rights in Court
In 2014, Georgia legislature passed House Bills (HB) 60 and 826. HB 826 sought to decriminalize the carrying of weapons in school areas because previous laws required mandatory penalties for those caught with weapons on school property. Several situations arose that inspired the laxer law – situations in which students were expelled or charged with […]
