Homework Question on Miranda vs. Arizona
- Listen to the audio recording of the oral arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court in the case of Miranda vs. Arizona.
- This is the link to the video for the assignment. http://www.c-span.org/video/?59250-1/miranda-v-arizona-oral-arguments.
- Prepare a 275- to 350- word summary of the argument of the case. Include the following:
- Briefly describe the facts of the case.
- When was the case argued?
- Which lawyers argued the case for each side?
Homework Answer on Miranda vs. Arizona
This was one case that consolidated three others. In Miranda’s and the three other cases, the defendants were cross-examined under police custody without knowledge of their privileges. The defendants were denied heir privileges as provided in the Fifth Amendment. Miranda argued that he was pressurized into signing a confession statement. He said that, had he been informed of his rights, he would never have signed the statement (C-SPAN, 1966).
This case was argued from 28 February to 1 March 1966, and decided on 13 June 1966. The judges who were in charge of the case were; the Chief Justice Warren, Justice Brennan, Justice Black, Justice Fortas, and Justice Douglas, who were of the majority opinion. The other Justices were; Justice Harlan, who was of the dissenting opinion and was joined by Justices White and Stewart. The lawyers who represented respective parties in the case were; John Flynn who represented Ernest Miranda, and Gary Nelson, who represented the people of Arizona (C-SPAN, 1966).
Summary of the Argument
The reason for Miranda’s appeal was the court’s denial of his privileges under the Fifth Amendment. It was argued that the defendants like Miranda, may not have had the rights they are entitled to under the Fifth Amendment, and they should be informed of these rights before incriminating themselves. The court was to decide whether, in a criminal trial, an individual’s statements and confessions obtained under custodial police interrogation should be used against such an individual.