David Cannon, Jr. Your Superior Court Judge

Please note:

For those that followed the Farris Murder trial. Sentencing will be tomorrow at 9:30. Should be on the same media outlets as before.

The jury reached a verdict.
Melody Farris was convicted of all charges. She is awaiting sentencing, likely in Dec. I won’t be able to comment about the case itself for some period of time as it will still be assigned to me through sentencing and the preliminary appeal phase.
I will be drafting an appropriate “thank you” message for everyone in the Justice Center shortly.

I hope those that watched learned something about our justice system.
For those who might have some questions about process, procedure or random thing not related to the case itself, I may able to respond.
An example would be “Why doesn’t Judge Cannon wear a tie?”

Evidence is closed. Closing and charge should take the majority of the day tomorrow.

I will be starting the State of Georgia v. Melody Farris murder trial beginning this afternoon. I expect the case will take 3-4 weeks. It is being broadcast by CourtTV (you may refer to their website to determine how to view the trial). It is also being picked up by local and national media. We selected the jury last week and are starting opening statements today at 1:00.

We have not streamed regularly since COVID, and this is being broadcast with professional equipment spread throughout the courtroom. This is a new experience for all of us involved, and hopefully the presence of the cameras won’t be detrimental to the process. I have assurances the jury members will not be recorded.

I hope those that watch the trial learn something about judicial system. Please don’t talk to anyone involved in the case. Please don’t post anything about the case on either of my pages

Also, please be patient if you are an attorney or paralegal that has other cases assigned to my courtroom. I just completed a seven day trial that got delayed because of the hurricane while when we started jury selection in this case.

Winning an election might be a foregone conclusion when you are running unopposed, but it doesn’t mean you are any less grateful to those who voted for you. I know that you didn’t have to check the box next to my name, and it means more to me than you can imagine to have the support of the community I serve. My heartfelt thanks for allowing me to do the job I love for another four years.

Just got back from Dalton where I was one of the judges for the Bartow and Whitfield district mock trial competition, and these students were tremendous! One young lady’s closing statement was so confident and bold that all the professional lawyers helping took note. Mock trial is what made me want to be a lawyer, and it made my daughter want to be a lawyer. I‘m always happy when I get to be a part of it.

Adoptions are the best day you can have in a courtroom, no contest. Congratulations to your family.

Judges have to make difficult decisions every day, and this morning was no different. It was my first time judging a pie contest, along with Bill Grant, Shawn Tolan, and Brooke Schmidt, and the decisions were tough—but thankfully no pie crusts were!

The winning pie was so decadent (chocolate s’mores pie) that after just two bites I needed a big glass of milk and a nap. Thanks for the invitation to participate, and hope I get future chances to adjudicate some deliciousness.