Question

In its 1972 Furman v. Georgia ruling, why did the Supreme Court strike down all state laws allowing the death penalty?

Answer 1

It ruled that the system allowed too much latitude to judges when determining who to sentence a death penalty to.

Answer 2

Furman Case was in court for having killed a person resident of the house he was burglarizing. The death penalty was being considered as his punishment.

However, the Supreme Court's decision was to strike down all state and national laws that allowed the death penalty because this type of punishment was considered cruel and violated the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments of the Constitution, which provided protection from “Cruel and Unusual Punishment”, and the right to “Due Process” and “Equal Protection”, under the law.