See You In Court

Georgia Court of Appeals Judge Ken Hodges says one of the toughest parts of his job is the sheer volume of cases the court must decide. That makes a potential change in Georgia’s appellate system especially significant. In this clip, Judge Hodges discusses the possibility that many murder appeals currently handled by the Georgia Supreme Court could eventually move to the Court of Appeals. His conc...

When Ken Hodges became District Attorney of the Dougherty Judicial Circuit, he inherited a backlog of eight death penalty cases. Judge Hodges says the mishandling of one of those cases helped motivate him to run for district attorney, and working through that backlog became an important part of his early years in office. Yet when asked which prosecution stands out most, he points to State of Georg...

Before Sheriff-elect Derwin Brown ever took office, questions were already being raised about what was happening inside the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office. Former District Attorney J. Tom Morgan explains that allegations involving deputies, bonding companies and bribery were pointing toward a grand jury investigation. Morgan had dinner with Brown just two weeks before his murder, and they discusse...

Former DeKalb County District Attorney J. Tom Morgan says many of his students increasingly believe that people with enough money, power, or connections don't always face the same rules as everyone else. The observation comes during a larger See You In Court discussion about the rule of law and connects directly to the story behind Morgan’s book, A Rainy Night in Georgia, which recounts the murder...

Are Americans becoming increasingly accepting of corruption in government? Former DeKalb County District Attorney J. Tom Morgan reflects on what he sees among his students and asks whether repeated examples of corruption have made society less sensitive to abuses of public power. It’s a larger question about accountability, public trust and the importance of checks and balances in our system of go...

Former DeKalb County District Attorney J. Tom Morgan received an extraordinary warning from another attorney: his life was in danger. Morgan was told he needed round-the-clock protection, firearms, and a bulletproof vest. He understood that the attorney knew something serious but could not reveal more. Later, while interviewing one of the men involved in the conspiracy surrounding the murder of Sh...

While investigating the assassination of Sheriff-elect Derwin Brown, then-DeKalb County District Attorney J. Tom Morgan uncovered another disturbing part of the conspiracy. The people responsible for Brown’s murder had another target. Morgan himself. Robin Frazer Clark reads the chilling passage from Morgan’s book, A Rainy Night in Georgia, in this excerpt from See You In Court. The story continue...

What does justice under the rule of law really require? Former DeKalb County District Attorney J. Tom Morgan shares a definition from one of his students that made such an impression on him that he saved it: “Justice means everyone is treated fairly and equally under the rule of law.” The student added that it should not matter whether someone is an ordinary citizen or the president. Everyone shou...

Sometimes a courtroom becomes part of the story itself. J. Tom Morgan recalls the remarkable circumstances surrounding the Sidney Dorsey trial. After the case was unexpectedly moved to Dougherty County, the guilty verdict came back in the very courtroom where Morgan had been sworn in as a lawyer years earlier. That same courtroom also carried another significant piece of history, one that Morgan r...

Former DeKalb County District Attorney J. Tom Morgan spent years carrying the story of one of the most extraordinary cases of his career. After the prosecution of former DeKalb County Sheriff Sidney Dorsey for the murder of Sheriff-elect Derwin Brown, Morgan kept the transcripts, notes and files from the case. Eventually, he packed everything into a box and put it away. Then COVID changed his rout...

Former DeKalb County District Attorney J. Tom Morgan reflects on one of the central themes of the Sidney Dorsey prosecution: the danger of unchecked power. Morgan explains why the prosecution focused on power, corruption, and the importance of checks and balances, themes that also run throughout his new book, A Rainy Night in Georgia. Listen to the full conversation with J. Tom Morgan: https://see...

Georgia Court of Appeals Judge Ken Hodges discusses the strength of the rule of law and why he believes Georgia’s nonpartisan judicial system performs better than many others. While political pressure and accusations can arise when courts decide controversial cases, Judge Hodges says Georgia has largely succeeded in keeping politics outside the judiciary. The broader Episode 54 discussion also add...

Former DeKalb County District Attorney, attorney, professor, and author J. Tom Morgan joins Robin Frazer Clark and Lester Tate for a powerful conversation about the murder of Sheriff-elect Derwin Brown, the prosecution of former Sheriff Sidney Dorsey, and the true story behind Morgan’s new book, A Rainy Night in Georgia. Morgan takes listeners inside the investigation, the allegations of corruptio...

What does justice mean when every case presents different facts, different people and different legal issues? Georgia Court of Appeals Judge Ken Hodges explains why he does not believe in “cookie-cutter justice” and shares an example of having to abandon an outcome he preferred because reaching it would have required ignoring existing law and precedent. For Judge Hodges, justice ultimately depends...

Georgia Court of Appeals Judge Ken Hodges traces part of his interest in the law back to childhood summers in Albany, where he watched his father practice in municipal court. In this clip, Judge Hodges remembers sitting in the jury box, watching the lawyers argue their cases and then joining them and the judge at a nearby coffee shop to listen to courtroom stories. Hear the full conversation: http...

Have you ever wondered what actually happens during an appellate court argument? You can watch for yourself. In this See You In Court clip, Georgia Court of Appeals Judge Ken Hodges explains that the court live streams oral arguments and makes past arguments available online as well. Whether you want to follow a particular case or simply see how appellate arguments work, the court provides the pub...

What happens after the lawyers finish arguing and the judges leave the courtroom? Georgia Court of Appeals Judge Ken Hodges explains that, unless a case is clear-cut, the conversation among judges often begins almost immediately. In this See You In Court clip, Judge Hodges describes how he asks the other judges what they think, follows up when necessary, and continues the discussion as they work t...

What happens when artificial intelligence invents legal cases and those citations make their way into a court filing? Georgia Court of Appeals Judge Ken Hodges says the court is already dealing with the issue. In this See You In Court clip, Judge Hodges discusses a lawyer whose briefs appeared to contain AI-generated material, the additional legal education he required, and why the court takes fab...

“If it’s not in the record, it didn’t happen.” Georgia Court of Appeals Judge Ken Hodges explains why transcripts can be critically important when a case reaches the appellate court. The Court of Appeals is a court of review. If an evidentiary hearing is important to an issue on appeal but there is no transcript or record of what occurred, the appellate court may have to defer to the trial judge....

What happens when a judge personally disagrees with the law? Georgia Court of Appeals Judge Ken Hodges explains why his judicial philosophy centers on applying the law fairly and correctly, regardless of personal preference. “We’re not here to make law. It’s our job to follow the rule of law.” In this See You In Court clip, Judge Hodges discusses the role of the legislature, judicial restraint, an...

What gives Georgians confidence that their cases will receive a fair review when they reach the appellate courts? In this clip, Georgia Court of Appeals Judge Ken Hodges explains why he believes Georgia’s judicial system works better than many partisan court systems around the country. Although Georgia’s appellate judges may have different backgrounds and perspectives, Judge Hodges says they work...

Judges make decisions that can significantly affect people’s lives. But what happens when disagreement with those decisions turns into threats, retaliation, or political pressure? In this clip, Georgia Court of Appeals Judge Ken Hodges discusses the security concerns judges and their families may face once they leave the courthouse. He and host Robin Frazer Clark also examine why Georgia has gener...

A new wrongful death lawsuit raises a difficult legal question: Can an artificial intelligence company be held responsible when its technology allegedly contributes to a person’s death? In this clip, Lester Tate and Robin Frazer Clark discuss claims involving ChatGPT and a 29-year-old Alabama woman. They examine the reported product liability theories, including negligent design, failure to warn,...

    Kenneth (Ken) Bryant Hodges, III was elected to the Court of Appeals by the citizens of Georgia in 2018, winning every county in the state with wide bipartisan support in a contested election for a rare open seat on the Court. Judge Hodges took office on Jan. 1, 2019, and was elected again state-wide in 2024. With deep experience in diverse practice areas, Judge Hodges has served as a prosecut...

Why Nick Moraitakis Chose Mediation After Retirement Podbean Description Retirement didn’t mean stepping away from the law completely for Nick Moraitakis. After decades as both a defense lawyer and plaintiff’s attorney, Nick found that mediation gave him a way to stay mentally engaged while using his experience for a different purpose. In this clip, he also explains why understanding and respectin...