Furman v. Georgia
United States Supreme Court
408 U.S. 238 (1972)
Relevant factsFree
Furman and other petitioners (defendants) were sentenced to death following convictions for murder and rape, and the Supreme Court granted certiorari to decide whether the death penalty, as applied in their specific cases, amounted to cruel and unusual punishment under the Eighth Amendment.
IssueFree
Whether the sentencing and execution of the death penalty in the petitioners' cases violates the Eighth Amendment's prohibition of cruel and unusual punishment.