2026 Summer Public Defense Conference

Recent cases from the Georgia Supreme Court have taken issue with "improper propensity evidence in disguise." We get this when prosecutors seek to admit character evidence under an exception, but then turn around and use it for a verboten purpose. 

This session is designed to help identify when this is happening and to offer tools to 1) nip it in the bud and 2) lay the groundwork for a winning appeal. We will discuss some new cases and how they deal with spurious 404(b) evidence — specifically Harris and Wilson — as well as some helpful older cases which we ignore at our peril.

Update focusing on new legislation from this years legislative sessions.  Additionally, will focus on important (or at least interesting) cases from the Supreme Court of the United States, Supreme Court of Georgia, and the Court of Appeals of the State of Georgia.

Statutory Law Update-First Offender records restriction at the time of sentencing, a new crime for gift card fraud, new ways to remove District Attorneys, enhanced punishments for pimping and pandering, a new crime for "Improper Sexual Contact by a Clergy Member," rules for AI Chatbots/Companions, a new path forward for terms of court (at least in the Cordele Judicial Circuit), feral hog chaos, credit for time served on probation revocations, a new official heritage horse breed, and more!!!

Case Law Update-Issue of First Impression-How to preserve error when a witness answers a question before a sustained objection. Good caselaw for issues dealing with motions to arrest judgment, challenging date ranges in indictments, prior violent acts of the alleged victim (in self-defense cases), prospective waivers of revocation hearings, and more!!! Bad caselaw for felony murder, prosecutors using AI, the broken post conviction system in Georgia, and more!!!.  Information on how to preserve error on appeal for jury charges, motions for mistrial, requests for written orders on immunity motions, and more!!!