From 1967 until 1972, the United States Supreme Court debated on whether or not capital punishment is constitutional. On June 29, 1972, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the death penalty is unconstitutional because in some cases it can go against the Eighth Amendment. The Eighth Amendment protects citizens from "cruel and unusual punishment". For nine years, from 1967 until 1976, capital punishment was in a state of national moratorium. This means the states stopped all executions. In July of 1976, the Court upheld the death penalty as a reasonable punishment for some crimes.
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