Which case halted the death penalty due to arbitrary, capricious, and discriminatory application?

• A. Gregg v. Georgia
• B. Atkins v. Virginia
• C. Furman v. Georgia
• D. Roper v. SImmons

Answer: (C)

The main idea being tested is how the Supreme Court struck down the way the death penalty was being applied because it was arbitrary, capricious, and biased.

In Furman v. Georgia (1972), the Court ruled that the death penalty as it was administered at the time produced cruel and unusual punishment by relying on unpredictable factors and giving prosecutors and juries too much discretionary power, which led to discriminatory results. This decision effectively halted executions across the country and forced states to rewrite their capital-punishment laws to remove or constrain that arbitrariness. The reforms typically introduced guided discretion and bifurcated trials to separate guilt from sentencing, aiming to ensure more uniform and fair application. Later, Gregg v. Georgia (1976) upheld new statutes that met the Court’s constraints, allowing death sentences to be imposed again under structured procedures.

The other cases address different aspects of capital punishment. Atkins v. Virginia and Roper v. Simmons focus on who can be executed—prohibiting execution of intellectually disabled individuals and of offenders who were juveniles at the time of their crime—rather than addressing the broader issue of arbitrary application that Furman targeted.