Final answer:
In Furman v. Georgia, the Supreme Court ruled that the arbitrary imposition of the death penalty violated the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments and constituted cruel and unusual punishment, resulting in a nationwide moratorium on executions. However, in Gregg v. Georgia, the Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of Georgia's new death penalty statute, ending the moratorium.
Step-by-step explanation:
In the case of Furman v. Georgia in 1972, the Supreme Court ruled that the arbitrary and inconsistent imposition of the death penalty violated the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments and constituted cruel and unusual punishment. This decision resulted in a nationwide de facto moratorium on executions. However, in the subsequent case of Gregg v. Georgia in 1976, the Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of Georgia's new death penalty statute, effectively ending the moratorium on executions.