Publication Date
12-2010
Document Type
Survey Article
Abstract
As you may know, July 11, 2010, marked the fiftieth anniversary of Harper Lee's Pulitzer Prize-winning classic, To Kill A Mockingbird, which anecdotally inspired many in the South and beyond to enter the legal profession. Therefore, it is fitting to open this Article with Atticus Finch's oft-quoted closing statement:
The state has not produced one iota of medical evidence ... that the crime Tom Robinson is charged with ever took place ... ...
I am confident that you gentlemen will review without passion the evidence you have heard, come to a decision, and restore this defendant to his family.
In the name of God, do your duty. ... In the name of God, believe [Tom Robinson].
This endearing work of literature encapsulates the importance of evidence, which law students often accuse of being boring, but which is the foundation of justice even for those whose property or life are at risk.
This Survey provides examples of evidentiary decisions made by Georgia courts from June 1, 2009 to May 31, 2010. Some of the decisions described below represent substantive changes in the law. More of them illustrate ways that existing law can be applied to yield different results.
Recommended Citation
Hall, John E. Jr. and Henwood, W. Scott
(2010)
"Evidence,"
Mercer Law Review: Vol. 62:
No.
1, Article 8.
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.law.mercer.edu/jour_mlr/vol62/iss1/8