Which case temporarily interrupted the death penalty by ruling that its current application was unconstitutional?

• A. Coker v. Georgia (1977)
• B. Woodson v. North Carolina (1976)
• C. Gregg v. Georgia (1976)
• D. Furman v. Georgia (1972)

Answer: (D)

The key idea is that the death penalty was halted because the way it was being applied was unconstitutional. In Furman v. Georgia (1972), the Court held that the death penalty as it existed in the states produced cruel and unusual punishment due to its arbitrary and capricious application. This meant executions could be carried out in a biased or unpredictable way, effectively pausing the death penalty nationwide while states redesigned their statutes. The Court did not abolish capital punishment itself; it required new procedures to curb arbitrariness. Later, Gregg v. Georgia (1976) upheld those revised procedures, allowing executions to resume. The other cases deal with different aspects—mandatory death penalties, broader limits on when the death penalty is appropriate, or restricting its use in cases like rape—but Furman is the one that created the temporary interruption by ruling the current application unconstitutional.