Which case upheld Georgia's revised law on capital punishment, which limited the crimes for which the death penalty could be imposed and specified the factors to be considered and procedures to be used in deciding when to impose capital punishment?

Which case upheld Georgia's revised law on capital punishment, which limited the crimes for which the death penalty could be imposed and specified the factors to be considered and procedures to be used in deciding when to impose capital punishment?

• A. Gregg v. Georgia (1976)
• B. Furman v. Georgia (1972)
• C. Coker v. Georgia (1977)
• D. Paris Adult Theatre I v. Slaton (1973)

Answer: (A)

The question tests how the Supreme Court allowed a state’s revised capital-punishment scheme to stand after earlier problems. After Furman v. Georgia struck down existing Georgia statutes for producing arbitrary death sentences, Georgia rewrote its law to limit which crimes could carry the death penalty and to guide how decisions would be made. In Gregg v. Georgia (1976), the Court upheld these changes, ruling that the two-stage process—a guilt phase followed by a separate sentencing phase—turnished juries with specific aggravating and mitigating factors to weigh. It also allowed for appellate review. This structure addresses the arbitrariness concerns identified in Furman and shows that the death penalty can be constitutional when the statute narrows eligibility, defines factors to consider, and provides procedural safeguards for its imposition.

The question tests how the Supreme Court allowed a state’s revised capital-punishment scheme to stand after earlier problems. After Furman v. Georgia struck down existing Georgia statutes for producing arbitrary death sentences, Georgia rewrote its law to limit which crimes could carry the death penalty and to guide how decisions would be made. In Gregg v. Georgia (1976), the Court upheld these changes, ruling that the two-stage process—a guilt phase followed by a separate sentencing phase—turnished juries with specific aggravating and mitigating factors to weigh. It also allowed for appellate review. This structure addresses the arbitrariness concerns identified in Furman and shows that the death penalty can be constitutional when the statute narrows eligibility, defines factors to consider, and provides procedural safeguards for its imposition.