Throughout the history of the United States, there have been numerous Supreme Court cases that have had a major impact on the American society. Because of how the United States' government is structured, the Supreme Court is able to wield tremendous power on the laws of the land. This was never more evident than during the "Warren Court" of the mid 1900s. During this era, the Court adamantly looked to expand judicial power more than it ever had before. This meant going beyond just a ruling of constitutionality and entering into the arena of lawmaking. A textbook example of this expansion took place during the Miranda v. Arizona case of 1966. Once the Court's decision was handed down, the fundamental tenants of criminal procedure were forever changed in America.
On the morning of March 13, 1963, the Phoenix Police Department arrested Ernesto Miranda and charged him with kidnapping and raping an 18 year-old girl. Although the victim could not positively identify Miranda as her attacker, officers proceeded to interrogate him for almost two hours (1). Eventually, Miranda admitted to the kidnapping and agreed to sign a written confession. Within this signed confession it was explained that he made the confession voluntarily and with full knowledge of his legal rights (2). A couple months later, Miranda's trial was set to begin with his court-appointed attorney, Alvin Moore. The trial ran smoothly and Moore eventually called one of the arresting officers to the stand. During his examination, Moore asked the officer if they had informed Miranda of his right to speak with an attorney before he signed his confession (3). When the officer answered no, Moore requested a motion to strike the confession from the admissible evidence. His motion was denied and Miranda was ultimately found guilty with a unanimous verdict (4). Based on the aforementioned question, Moore then appealed the case to the Supreme Court of Arizona but was denied once again.
