Judge Stanley Marcus, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit (Courtesy photo) Judge Stanley Marcus, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit (Courtesy photo)

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit on Friday ruled that the annotated version Official Code of Georgia is public record and can't be copyrighted by the state, reversing a federal judge in Atlanta.

In an opinion authored by Judge Stanley Marcus, the appeals court also directed Judge Richard Story of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia to enter a judgment for a California public interest group, whose founder has labored for three decades promoting the right of the public to have free access to the laws and regulations that govern them.

The appellate panel also included Senior Judge Frank Hull and Judge Susan Bucklew of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida.