Ernesto Miranda
Ernesto Miranda was a young man who was arrested for kidnapping and rape in Phoenix, Arizona. The Court ruled that his confession could not be used against him, but Miranda was convicted based on other evidence and served fourteen years in jail. After his release, Miranda was killed in a bar fight. Ironically, the suspect in his murder was “mirandized.”
Chief Justice Earl Warren
Earl Warren (March 19, 1891 – July 9, 1974) was a California lawyer, prosecutor and governor who became chief justice of the Supreme Court (1953 – 1969). He wrote the majority opinion in Miranda that expanded protections for suspects. Justice Warren’s years as a county district attorney and state attorney general gave him insight into the relationship between law enforcement and criminal defendants.