See You In Court

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 addresses judicial security, political pressure and protecting the integrity of Georgia’s courts.

Listen to the full episode:
https://seeyouincourt.podbean.com/e/episode-54-hon-kenneth-hodges-georgia-court-of-appeals/

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 corruption surrounding the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office, the prosecution strategy that ultimately led to Dorsey’s conviction, and the chilling discovery that Morgan himself had also been targeted.

The conversation also explores the broader lessons that still resonate more than 25 years later, including unchecked power, government accountability, investigative journalism, public service, checks and balances, and the importance of equal justice under the rule of law.

Morgan also reflects on the challenges of turning a complex legal case into a compelling book, the role of attorneys including Ken Hodges, Shawn Ellen LaGrua, John Floyd, Brian Steel, and Don Samuel, and why professionalism within the adversarial system still matters.

As always, Robin and Lester close the conversation by asking their guest a central question: How do you define justice?

Learn more about J. Tom Morgan:
https://jtommorganlaw.com/

Learn more about A Rainy Night in Georgia:
https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/A-Rainy-Night-in-Georgia/J-Tom-Morgan/9781493094844

Watch See You In Court on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/@seeyouincourtpodcast

Learn more about the Georgia Civil Justice Foundation:
https://fairplay.org/

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 on honest, fair-minded judges doing their best to get the law and the decision right. His comments reinforce a central theme of the full Episode 54 conversation: judges are responsible for applying the law, not simply reaching the outcome they would personally like.

Listen to the full episode:
https://seeyouincourt.podbean.com/e/episode-54-hon-kenneth-hodges-georgia-court-of-appeals/

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:
https://seeyouincourt.podbean.com/e/episode-54-hon-kenneth-hodges-georgia-court-of-appeals/

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 public with an opportunity to watch the process firsthand.

Watch Georgia Court of Appeals oral arguments:

https://www.gaappeals.gov/

Hear the complete Episode 54 conversation with Judge Hodges, Robin Frazer Clark and Lester Tate:

https://seeyouincourt.podbean.com/e/episode-54-hon-kenneth-hodges-georgia-court-of-appeals/

Watch the full episode:

https://youtu.be/Pp0kjKRrB7g

Learn more:

https://seeyouincourtpodcast.org/

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