Explain the significance of the Furman v. Georgia Supreme Court decision. How did it influence how the death penalty is applied today?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

The 5–4 decision of Furman v. Georgia is significant for a multitude of reasons. First, the decision
resulted in a moratorium on the death penalty and ruled that the death penalty, as it was being applied,
was unconstitutional. This is significant because it was the beginning of a reform to the application of the
death penalty in the United States. Second, it was an important decision for opponents of the death
penalty and resulted in discussions about abolishing the death penalty completely. Third, it led to
numerous other significant Supreme Court decisions including Woodson v. North Carolina, which stated
that mandatory death penalty statutes were unconstitutional, and Gregg v. Georgia, which resulted in a
system of application for death penalty that reduced the likelihood of arbitrary and discriminatory
sentences and reinstated the use of the death penalty. Last, the Furman v. Georgia decision has
reformed and improved the application of the death penalty in the United States by requiring states to
implement a fair and nondiscriminatory process for death penalty cases.