Who is the person behind the Miranda warning?

Even if you've never had any personal encounters with the law, you're probably familiar with the Miranda warning. Whether it's through countless episodes of shows like Law & Order and CSI, those words have embedded themselves in our minds:

"You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed for you. Do you understand these rights I’ve just read to you? With these rights in mind, do you wish to speak to me?"

These words stem from the 1966 Miranda v. Arizona Supreme Court case. Three years prior, a young woman from Phoenix reported being kidnapped, taken to a desert location, and raped. She gave the police specific details about the car driven by her abductor, leading them to Ernesto Miranda. Though she could not identify him in a lineup, Miranda was apprehended and interrogated. This led to his signing a confession under pressure.

Miranda later claimed that he was coerced into confessing because he was not informed about his constitutional right to remain silent. His case was brought before the Supreme Court in 1966, where it was ruled that anything Miranda had "confessed" could not be used against him, as he had not been properly advised of his rights. Soon after, the Miranda warning became a compulsory part of the arrest procedure.

However, not everyone agreed with the decision. Even Richard Nixon strongly opposed the practice of reading suspects their rights, arguing that doing so would weaken the effectiveness of law enforcement and lead to a rise in crime rates.

What happened to Miranda after his case? His conviction was retried in 1967 without the confession, but the jury didn't need it to find him guilty. He was sentenced to up to 20 years in prison and released in 1972. For a period, he earned money by selling Miranda cards—small cards printed with the warning—for $1.50 each. Tragically, less than four years after his release, Miranda was killed in a bar fight in Phoenix in 1976 at the age of 36.

This article has been revised for 2020.