Political Quotes

“this week, the Supreme Court reaffirmed its landmark decision in Miranda v. Arizona. I applaud that decision. Miranda struck a balance between the needs of law enforcement and the rights of a suspect that has worked well for 34 years. There is no reason to upset that balance now. Shortly after Miranda was decided in 1966, I became State's Attorney for Chittenden County, Vermont. I remember clearly the immediate impact that this momentous decision had upon law enforcement, prosecutors, criminal defendants and the criminal justice system as a whole. The Supreme Court's pronouncement that all suspects in custody needed to be advised of certain constitutional rights, including the privilege against self-incrimination, before being questioned was as new then as it is familiar today. The Miranda decision put into place a fair and bright-line rule that both protects the rights of the accused and has proven workable for law enforcement. Statements stemming from custodial interrogation of a suspect are inadmissible at trial unless the police first provide the suspect with a set of four specific warnings: (1) you have the right to remain silent; (2) anything you say may be used as evidence against you; (3) you have the right to an attorney; and (4) if you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed for you.”