Georgia Supreme Court
Kemp picks new PSC member as Eaton leaves for superior court judgeship
This story was update at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday. The head of a state board that regulates Georgia’s public utilities is set to become a superior court judge this summer, and the governor appointed a Cobb County businessman to the panel to replace him Wednesday. Gov. Brian Kemp tapped commission Chairman Chuck Eaton for a judgeship […]
Kemp names Verda Colvin to fill Georgia Supreme Court seat
Gov. Brian Kemp picked a Georgia Court of Appeals judge to become his newest appointee to the state Supreme Court, making Verda Colvin the second Black woman to serve on the state’s highest court. The Republican governor announced Tuesday that Colvin will fill the vacancy of the former Chief Justice Harold Melton, whose departure early […]
Kemp interviews justice candidates in Georgia Supreme Court makeover
The reshaping of the Georgia Supreme Court under Gov. Brian Kemp continues, as new Chief Justice David Nahmias takes the reins and six finalists vie to fill the court’s third vacancy since 2020. The Republican governor has started interviewing the potential replacements for the seat left vacant after last week’s retirement of Chief Justice Harold […]
Georgia Supreme Court chief heads to big law firm as he leaves bench
Georgia Supreme Court Chief Justice Harold Melton will enter private practice with a national law firm after stepping down from the state’s highest court on Thursday. Troutman Pepper announced Tuesday that starting July 19, Melton will partner with the firm after serving three decades in state government with the last 16 years on the Georgia […]
Georgia Supreme Court justices back to bench as in-person cases resume
Wednesday’s return of in-person hearings before the Georgia Supreme Court featured back and forth exchanges with justices and attorneys separated by mere feet instead of communicating from miles away through computer screens. The return of oral arguments inside the downtown Atlanta courthouse for the first time in 15 months went off without evidence a global […]
Order in Georgia courtrooms to gavel back in as in-person hearings restart
For the first time since last spring, the Georgia Supreme Court’s nine justices, attorneys, and other courthouse regulars are set to return Wednesday morning for in-person hearings in a building barely used before the pandemic shifted proceedings online. Since the shutdown of the courtroom, the Supreme Court hosted virtual hearings that allowed the state’s highest […]
Ga. Supreme Court upholds state’s strict death penalty disability standard
The Georgia Supreme Court upheld a death sentence for a man convicted of killing his ex-fiance’s son while justices rejected a push by his defense attorneys to spare him from execution by proving he has an intellectual disability. Monday’s court ruling dealt a significant blow to Rodney Renia Young’s chances of having his death sentence […]
David Nahmias elected Georgia’s next Supreme Court chief justice
The Georgia Supreme Court Thursday elected David Nahmias to serve as the new chief justice to lead the state’s highest court over the next four years. The other justices unanimously elected Presiding Justice Nahmias to take over on July 1 when Chief Justice Harold Melton steps down after 16 years with the court. Melton announced […]
Georgia jury trials to restart after pandemic slowed right to speedy trial
Georgia Supreme Court Chief Justice Harold Melton said he’s planning to lift a year-long restriction Tuesday to allow jury trials to resume that have been on hold during the COVID-19 pandemic. The standstill has resulted in a backlog of thousands of cases that judges and attorneys fear will take years to catch up– and leaves […]
Melton to step down after leading Georgia courts through COVID crisis
Georgia Supreme Court Chief Justice Harold Melton announced Friday that he is stepping down on July 1 after spending 16 years serving on the state’s highest court, including the past year implementing a 2009 plan he led to keep the wheels of justice turning in a pandemic. Melton’s announcement comes with a year-plus remaining on […]
Kemp names appointee for controversial Supreme Court vacancy
Governor Brian Kemp has announced his pick for a vacancy on the state Supreme Court that was at the center of two lawsuits after a sitting justice announced early this year that he would step down from the bench last month. The governor said Tuesday that Fulton County Superior Court Judge Shawn Ellen LaGrua will […]
Ga. Supreme Court tosses aside immunity for deputies in Taser death
The state’s highest court has rejected a lower court’s decision that granted immunity to deputies who tased a man to death three years ago in Washington County. The unanimous opinion released Monday could have implications for how law enforcement officers are held accountable when they kill while on duty. As the Georgia Recorder’s news partner, […]