WASHINGTON, DC – Two American Bar Association’s Law Day events in late April helped celebrate the 50th anniversary of the notable U.S. Supreme Court case Miranda v. Arizona and the important constitutional principles that inform the Miranda warning.
What made Miranda a part of our national culture? At 50, is Miranda experiencing a midlife crisis? How does the public understand and misunderstand, Miranda? What are the consequences? Through and beyond its Fifth Amendment protection against self-incrimination, what significance does Miranda hold more broadly for our commitment to the rule of law?
These questions and others were the focus of the ABA’s Law Day event, the 14th Annual Leon Jaworski Public Program, Thursday, April 28 at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington, DC.
The program was one of many events and activities planned throughout the nation to focus attention on the Law Day 2016 theme, “Miranda: More than Words.” The theme explores the constitutional protections of Miranda and explores other constitutional rights that protect American citizens from potential abuses by law enforcement and ensures fair treatment in the criminal justice system.
“Law Day provides the opportunity to reflect on the important constitutional principles that inform the Miranda warning,” said Paulette Brown, president of the American Bar Association. “At its heart, Miranda stands for the proposition that for our rights to be meaningful, we must be aware of them. And we must remain eternally vigilant to protect against erosions of Miranda that lead to the infringement of our rights.”
Law Day is a national observance each May 1 to underscore the importance of the rule of law and its influence in our daily lives.
Brown’s 2016 Law Day message may be viewed here