Which decision is associated with invalidating death penalty methods and ending executions for about a decade?

• A. Gregg v. Georgia (1976)
• B. Cox Broadcasting Corp v. Colin (1975)
• C. Paris Adult Theatre I v. Slaton (1973)
• D. Furman v. Georgia (1972)

Answer: (D)

Arbitrary application of the death penalty under the Eighth Amendment is the key idea here. In Furman v. Georgia (1972), the Supreme Court ruled that the way death sentences were imposed was unconstitutional because it allowed arbitrary and inconsistent outcomes—juries and judges had too much discretion without uniform standards. This finding invalidated the then-existing death penalty schemes and effectively halted executions nationwide for about a decade while states rewrote laws to impose guided discretion and consider aggravating versus mitigating factors. A few years later, Gregg v. Georgia (1976) upheld revised procedures, allowing executions to resume under tighter guidelines. The other cases listed address issues unrelated to capital punishment.