Final answer:
In Gregg v. Georgia, the Supreme Court established guidelines for the death penalty, deeming Georgia's statute constitutional and ending a moratorium on executions. This case is seen as a pivotal development in the constitutional application of the death penalty.
Step-by-step explanation:
In Gregg v. Georgia, the Supreme Court set up a series of reforms which are generally termed as safeguards or guidelines for the imposition of the death penalty. These reforms were established to ensure that the death penalty was not administered in an arbitrary or discriminatory manner. This landmark decision in 1976 upheld Georgia's new death penalty statute, finding it constitutional because it adequately narrowed the class of defendants eligible for the death penalty. This decision concluded the moratorium on executions that began with the Court's decision in Furman v. Georgia (1972).
The case is often cited as a critical moment in death penalty jurisprudence, standing alongside other significant Supreme Court cases, including Brown v. Board of Education and Roe v. Wade, which illustrate the court's role as a continuous constitutional convention. The decision indicated that the death penalty could be constitutionally acceptable if applied through a judicious and careful legal process.