The Georgia Court of Appeals held that even though the State’s evidence supported the conviction, the trial court erred in…
July 19, 2012 A Case for Limiting the Reach of Sex Offender RegistriesIndividuals classified as sex offenders and members of their families have pleaded with lawmakers to recognize the flaws in the…
July 16, 2012 GA Supreme Court: State Must Prove Knowledge of Quantity in Drug Trafficking CasesThe Georgia Supreme Court agreed, but then refused to reverse his conviction. In Wilson, a package containing more than 12…
July 13, 2012 DNA Evidence May Lead to New Trial in “Stocking Strangler” CaseEarlier this week, lawyers representing Carlton Gary, dubbed the “Columbus Stocking Strangler,” filed a 34-page motion in Muscogee County Superior…
June 28, 2012 Supreme Court: Mandatory Life Without Parole Sentences for Juveniles UnconstitutionalThe Court stated that “a judge or jury must have the opportunity to consider mitigating circumstances before imposing the harshest…
June 27, 2012 Supreme Court Decision Facilitates State’s Use of DNA Results in Sex Abuse CasesLast week, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a ruling in Williams v. Illinois that departed from the Court’s recent trend…
June 25, 2012 Supreme Court Defines How Fair Sentencing Act Applies to Pre-2010 CasesThe act increased the amount of crack needed to trigger the mandatory minimum five-year sentence from 5 to 28 grams…
June 17, 2012 Prosecution Prepares to Rest in Sandusky Case after Emotional First Week of TrialThe prosecution called 10 witnesses in the first four days and is expected to rest on Monday. The prosecution’s theory…
June 11, 2012 Court of Appeals Bans Contingency Fees to Special Prosecutors In Asset Forfeiture CasesThe ruling in Greater Georgia Amusements v. State of Georgia ends a little-known practice of private attorneys being appointed as…
June 4, 2012 Indiana Latest Challenge to Social Media Bans on Sex OffendersThe American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana claims that a 2008 law banning sex offenders from using social media such…
May 8, 2012 Justifiable Homicides Have Doubled Since Enactment of Georgia’s “Stand Your Ground Law”Just as in Florida, O.C.G.A. § 16-3-23.1 provides that a person acting in self defense “has no duty to retreat…
May 3, 2012 Eleventh Circuit Restricts Challenge to Pretrial Freezing of AssetsThis is an unfortunate decision for federal criminal defendants in Georgia as it allows the government to indict a defendant…
