Zant v. Stephens

The question presented is whether respondents death penalty must be vacated because one of the three statutory aggravating circumstances found by the jury was subsequently held to be invalid by the Supreme Court of Georgia, although the other two aggravating circumstances were specifically upheld. The answer depends on the function of the jurys finding of an aggravating circumstance under Georgias capital sentencing statute, and on the reasons that the aggravating circumstance at issue in this particular case was found to be invalid.