What Supreme Court case in 1972 struck down state laws allowing the death penalty for lack of consistent administration?

The Supreme Court case that struck down state laws allowing the death penalty in 1972 due to a lack of consistent administration is Furman v. Georgia. This landmark decision highlighted the arbitrary and inconsistent manner in which the death penalty was applied across different states and cases, thereby violating the Eighth Amendment's prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment. The Court found that the death penalty, as it was then implemented, created a risk of discrimination and randomness that could not be justified, leading to its suspension.

This case set a significant precedent for how capital punishment would be examined in subsequent legal contexts, emphasizing the need for fair and uniform application of such an extreme punishment. The decision in Furman v. Georgia not only addressed the specific laws and procedures surrounding the death penalty but also sparked ongoing debates about its morality and legality in the American justice system.