Gregg v. Georgia

E53067

Gregg v. Georgia is a landmark 1976 U.S. Supreme Court decision that reinstated the death penalty under revised statutes, holding that capital punishment is constitutional under certain guided-discretion procedures.


Statements (48)
Predicate Object
instanceOf United States Supreme Court case
landmark decision
approvedPractice bifurcated guilt and penalty phases in capital trials
consideration of aggravating and mitigating circumstances in capital sentencing
concernsTopic bifurcated capital trials
capital punishment procedures
cruel and unusual punishment
death penalty
guided discretion statutes
decidedWith Jurek v. Texas
Proffitt v. Florida
Roberts v. Louisiana
Woodson v. North Carolina
dissentBy Thurgood Marshall
William J. Brennan Jr. NERFINISHED
establishedRule capital sentencing schemes must allow consideration of the character and record of the individual offender
capital sentencing schemes must provide objective criteria to direct and limit sentencing discretion
followedBy Coker v. Georgia
Lockett v. Ohio
McCleskey v. Kemp
hasCitation 428 U.S. 153
hasCountry United States
hasCourt Supreme Court of the United States
hasDecisionDate 1976-07-02
hasDocketNumber 74-6257
hasPetitioner Troy Leon Gregg
hasRespondent State of Georgia
held capital punishment may be constitutional if imposed under guided-discretion procedures
mandatory death penalty statutes are unconstitutional
the death penalty is not per se unconstitutional under the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments
interpretsProvision Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution
Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution
introducedDoctrine guided discretion in capital sentencing
joinedByInJudgment Harry A. Blackmun NERFINISHED
Warren E. Burger
William H. Rehnquist
jurisdiction federal question jurisdiction
legalArea constitutional law
criminal law
criminal procedure
majorityOpinionBy Byron White NERFINISHED
Lewis F. Powell Jr.
Potter Stewart NERFINISHED
originatedFromCourt Supreme Court of Georgia
overruledCaseInPart Furman v. Georgia
precededBy Furman v. Georgia
resultedIn reinstatement of the death penalty in the United States under revised statutes
yearDecided 1976


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