"I believe.....if Miranda had never been decided in 1966, and in 2014, a criminal defendant asked the Supreme Court to exclude his confession...the Supreme Court would simply say that the Constitution does not require such warnings."
-Andrew Criado, Prosecutor, Virginia Commonwealth (2014 Interview)
-Andrew Criado, Prosecutor, Virginia Commonwealth (2014 Interview)
A Calling For Racial Equality
In the 1960s (Miranda v. Arizona was ruled on in 1966), African-Americans and other groups often discriminated against publicly demonstrated for equal rights amidst the Civil Rights movement.
Such demonstrations increased tensions between police officers and civil rights proponents, especially in the South. In such cases like the 1963 demonstration in Birmingham, police violently shut down civil rights protests. And in interrogation rooms, police officers often employed brutal and coercive tactics to elicit confessions from the indigent and minority groups, especially African-Americans.
"To some Negroes police have come to symbolize white power, white racism and white repression. And the fact is that many police do reflect and express these white attitudes." -Kerner Report (1968) |
"Off the Pigs! No more pigs in our community...No more brothers in jail..." Black Panther Party Anthem (Party founded in 1966). (1968, Credit: PBS)
Police violently suppress protests for equal rights for all citizens, regardless of race. (Image on left: Birmingham race riots, 1963, Credit: Bill Hudson/AP), (Image on right: circa 1960s, Credit: University of Texas)
Professor Ed Quevedo on how racial tensions in the 1960s were similar to those during the Civil War. (2013 Interview)
John F. Kennedy discussing the issue of racism in the US in 1963, following the Birmingham race riots. (1963, Credit: JFK Library)
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The Warren Court: A Voice for Equal Rights
"The Warren Court was the right court at the right time...and that is rarely the case. This was a nice pairing."
- Dr. Hugh Roberts, Former Criminal Defense Attorney (2014 Interview) |
At the time of Miranda v. Arizona, the Supreme Court was in an era known as the "Warren Court" (named after Chief Justice Earl Warren). During this era, this activist Supreme Court, recognizing its responsibility to uphold the values of the Constitution, enacted a number of changes that ensured equal rights among all citizens.
Just prior to Miranda v. Arizona (1966), the Warren Court ruled on two related cases.
-Syllabus of Gideon v. Wainwright
-Syllabus of Escebedo v. Illinois
"Supporters of the Warren Court saw the Warren Court as an indispensable part of the civil rights movement..." Andrew Criado, Prosecutor, Virginia Commonwealth (2014 Interview) |