Furman v. Georgia

Paper Summary:

This paper examines how the United States Supreme Court made a radical decision in June of 1972 to ban capital punishment as unconstitutional. It looks at how the ban came at the close of 'Furman v. Georgia', a case that would landmark future capital punishment debates.

From the Paper:

"The United States Supreme Court made a radical decision in June of 1972 to ban capital punishment as unconstitutional. The ban came at the close of Furman v. Georgia, a case that would landmark future capital punishment debates. Five of the nine Justices concurred with this decision. The Court decided that Furman v. Georgia, along with its partner cases Jackson v. Georgia and Branch v. Texas, indicated capital punishment was "cruel and unusual punishment in violation of [the] Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments" (Furman v. Georgia 1). The Supreme Court's ruling commuted the death sentences of 629 prisoners, effectively ending capital punishment in the United States (King 5). Although only two of the Justices thought capital punishment unconstitutional in all cases (Goldman), all five agreed on its discriminatory use (King 5). "

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