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 concern is what happens if a substantial new caseload arrives without additional judges, staff attorneys or other resources.

In the full Episode 54 conversation, Hodges explains why that could affect not only the new cases, but also oral arguments, discretionary applications and the amount of time available to carefully consider every case already before the court.

The jurisdiction change has not occurred, but the debate provides a revealing look at the workload and resource challenges behind Georgia’s appellate justice system.

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

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 Georgia v. Sidney Dorsey.

The murder and racketeering prosecution of the former DeKalb County sheriff was moved from metro Atlanta to Albany, where Hodges worked alongside District Attorney J. Tom Morgan during jury selection, opening statements, witness examinations and trial strategy.

This clip begins that remarkable chapter of Judge Hodges’ career. The story will continue when J. Tom Morgan joins See You In Court in an upcoming episode.

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

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 discussed Brown opening the sheriff’s files after taking office.

Hear the complete story in this compelling conversation with J. Tom Morgan about the prosecution that became the basis for his book, A Rainy Night in Georgia.

Full episode:
https://seeyouincourt.podbean.com/e/in-conversation-with-j-tom-morgan/

Watch on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/0B9xWq_t6K8

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 of Sheriff-elect Derwin Brown and a prosecution centered on corruption and unchecked power.

Watch the full rule-of-law discussion beginning at 50:44:
https://youtu.be/0B9xWq_t6K8?t=3044

Watch the complete episode:
https://youtu.be/0B9xWq_t6K8

Listen to the complete episode on Podbean:
https://seeyouincourt.podbean.com/e/in-conversation-with-j-tom-morgan/

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

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 government.

Hear more from J. Tom Morgan in the complete episode of See You In Court.

🎧 Full episode on Podbean:
https://seeyouincourt.podbean.com/e/in-conversation-with-j-tom-morgan/

▶️ Continue this specific discussion on power and accountability at 45:26:
https://youtu.be/0B9xWq_t6K8?t=2726

📖 Learn more about J. Tom Morgan and A Rainy Night in Georgia:
https://jtommorganlaw.com/

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 Sheriff-elect Derwin Brown, Morgan discovered exactly why someone had been looking for his home address.

The answer was chilling:

“I was going to kill you next.”

Hear the complete conversation with J. Tom Morgan and the remarkable story behind the prosecution of former DeKalb County Sheriff Sidney Dorsey.

🎧 Full episode on Podbean:
https://seeyouincourt.podbean.com/e/in-conversation-with-j-tom-morgan/

▶️ Want to continue exactly where this clip ends? Watch from 25:58 on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/0B9xWq_t6K8?t=1558

J. Tom Morgan’s book, A Rainy Night in Georgia:
https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/A-Rainy-Night-in-Georgia/J-Tom-Morgan/9781493094844

Learn more:
https://jtommorganlaw.com/

See You In Court is sponsored by the Georgia Civil Justice Foundation.

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 continues with Morgan explaining how he first learned his life might be in danger and what one of the men involved later told him directly.

▶️ Continue the conversation at 24:22 on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/0B9xWq_t6K8?t=1462

🎥 Watch the complete episode:
https://youtu.be/0B9xWq_t6K8

🎧 Full episode on Podbean:
https://seeyouincourt.podbean.com/e/in-conversation-with-j-tom-morgan/

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

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 should know the rules, and those rules should apply equally.

In this clip from See You In Court, Morgan discusses constitutional protections, the rule of law, and why equal treatment remains central to the idea of justice.

Watch the complete Episode 55 conversation:
https://youtu.be/0B9xWq_t6K8

Listen to the full episode on Podbean:
https://seeyouincourt.podbean.com/e/in-conversation-with-j-tom-morgan/

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

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

See You In Court:
https://seeyouincourtpodcast.org/

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 referenced in his closing argument.

In this clip from See You In Court, Morgan reflects on the unlikely and deeply personal conclusion to one of the most important cases of his career.

Watch the full conversation with J. Tom Morgan:
https://youtu.be/0B9xWq_t6K8

Listen to the complete episode:
https://seeyouincourt.podbean.com/e/in-conversation-with-j-tom-morgan/

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 routine.

Living alone in the North Carolina mountains, Morgan found himself with time to revisit the story. He began writing by hand, page after page, and months later had a manuscript of more than 250 typed pages.

That manuscript eventually became A Rainy Night in Georgia: A Lawman’s Brutal Murder, a Rogue Southern Sheriff, and a Prosecutor’s Quest for Justice.

In this clip from See You In Court, Morgan explains what finally pushed him to put the story on paper.

Watch the complete episode on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/0B9xWq_t6K8

Listen to the full episode on Podbean:
https://seeyouincourt.podbean.com/e/in-conversation-with-j-tom-morgan/