The day before the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a women’s constitutional right to an abortion, the high court also ruled on a decades old law with origins in Arizona that protects suspects detained by police officers.
In the 1966 Supreme Court case Miranda v. Arizona, the court ruled police officers must read suspects their Miranda rights — the right to remain silent and to an attorney before interrogation. It is meant to protect suspects from self-incrimination.
Now, the Supreme Court has ruled that police officers cannot be penalized for not reading suspects their rights.
Arizona State University law professor Paul Bender says this decision has multiple downsides.
“Doing that not only deprives the person of damages for harm as it would cause him by a constitutional violation, but also removes an incentive — that was important — on police to obey Miranda,” said Bender.
Bender also says Miranda rights are part of a constitutional rule to protect a suspect’s rights. He believes this new ruling lessens that protection.
