Ruling in Furman v. Georgia, on June 29, 1972, the majority opinion declared that "the imposition and carrying out of the death penalty in these cases constitute cruel and unusual punishment in violation of the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments."
The question presented was:
"Does the imposition and carrying out of the death penalty in [these cases] constitute cruel and unusual punishment in violation of the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments?"
Oral Arguments
You can hear the oral arguments for this case here:
Or listen to them directly on the Supreme Court's website here.
The Ruling
You can read the final ruling in Furman v. Georgia either in our read in full below, or click here for a PDF.
.jpg&w=1920&q=75)
.jpg&w=1920&q=75)