In 1966, the U.S. Supreme Court decided that criminal suspects must be informed of their right to remain silent, that anything they say can be used against them in a court of law, that they have the right to the presence of an attorney, etc. This set of l

The famous set of warnings read to criminal suspects gets its name from the landmark 1966 Supreme Court case *Miranda v. Arizona*. The case involved Ernesto Miranda, who was arrested in Phoenix and confessed to serious crimes after a two-hour interrogation. Crucially, at no point was he told that he had a right to a lawyer or the right not to speak with the police. His lawyers argued that his confession was coerced and unconstitutional.

The Supreme Court agreed, ruling that the Fifth Amendment's protection against self-incrimination must be safeguarded. The court recognized that police interrogations are inherently intimidating and that without being informed of their rights, suspects might unknowingly give them up. To remedy this, the court mandated that before any custodial questioning, suspects must be clearly told of their right to remain silent and their right to an attorney.

This decision fundamentally changed American police procedure and created the "Miranda warning" now famous from countless movies and TV shows. In a tragic and ironic postscript, Ernesto Miranda’s conviction was overturned. He was later retried without his confession and convicted again. Years after his release, he was stabbed to death in a bar fight. The man suspected of killing him was arrested and, upon his arrest, was read his Miranda rights.