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Evidence, John E. Hall Jr., W. Scott Henwood, Leesa Guarnotta

Mercer Law Review

The 2020 Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic brought with it many firsts, including a year-long moratorium on civil and criminal jury trials. As of June 2021, many counties across the state expected continued stays of civil jury trials. Nevertheless, Georgia’s appellate courts continued to develop Georgia’s evidence laws in the eighth year since the implementation of Georgia’s new Evidence Code. This Article discusses the developing evolution of the new Georgia Evidence Code, Official Code of Georgia Annotated (O.C.G.A.) Title 24, by addressing developments of Georgia’s evidence rules from the period of June 1, 2020, through May 31, 2021. Specifically, this Article addresses: …

Evidence, W. Randall Bassett, Val Leppert, Lauren Newman

Mercer Law Review

In its 2020 term, the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit issued several important and precedential opinions on a number of evidentiary topics. For example, in four published opinions, the court considered whether certain evidence was “testimonial” to determine whether its admission would implicate the Sixth Amendment’s Confrontation Clause. The court also addressed whether a defendant on federal supervised release faces a “classic penalty situation,” thereby deeming any confession compelled in violation of the Fifth Amendment, when a probation officer asks him to answer questions that would reveal he had committed new crimes.

The Eleventh Circuit additionally …