On Thursday, June 29, 1972, the U.S. Supreme Court took the bench at 10 a.m., as was its custom. It was the final day of the term. Although it was unseasonably comfortable outside at 72 degrees that morning, anticipation heated up inside the courtroom. The justices still had a whopping eight decisions to issue, with most public attention focused on how they would resolve a handful of landmark constitutional challenges to the death penalty.