Anne Bishop, P. O. Box 313, Gainesville, GA 30503 email@gainesvillegalawyer.com (770) 783-5296

A. Bishop Law, LLC

The Rights Contained in Miranda (3/3) A Georgia Lawyer Explains

The Miranda warnings we hear on television cop shows originate from the U.S. Supreme Court case in 1966, Miranda v. Arizona. The Miranda warnings basically advise a suspect of his Right Against Self-Incrimination found in the 5th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

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Right to Remain Silent

It seems odd, but simply remaining silent is not the best way to protect one’s Miranda Rights. The Courts have found that if someone wants to remain silent then they must actually speak or do some act which shows that they want to invoke the right to remain silent.

The best way to protect the right to remain silent is for one to simply state I do not want to talk AND I want a lawyer. The protections for wanting a lawyer are valued more highly by the Courts than the right to silence.

For the right to remain silent to do any good, it requires that the defendant stop talking and continue to not talk. If you tell law enforcement that you are not answering any questions after they read you your Miranda rights, they must honor this. However, if you voluntarily decide to start talking to the police later, you have given up your right to silence and anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law.

Right to a Lawyer

The right to remain silent sometimes overshadows the Miranda right to counsel. However, the right to counsel may be a more important right. The Courts seem to think this is true and vigorously protect those defendants that have had their request for a lawyer violated. At the requesting of a lawyer, all questioning should stop and not resume until a lawyer is present. A Georgia Criminal Defense Lawyer can help you examine the dynamics of your whole case and will investigate the case, use legal privileges, plea negotiations or a trial to help.

For more information on Miranda, please see our other articles: ‘They didn’t read me my rights!’ “ The Reality of Miranda (1 of 3) and When Should Miranda Warnings be Read? (2 of 3).

At A. Bishop Law, our Georgia Criminal Defense Attorney welcomes questions on Criminal Defense laws, Traffic Laws and Georgia DUI laws. Please Call or Email us with any questions.

About the attorney:  Anne Bishop is a Georgia lawyer with A. Bishop Law in Gainesville, Georgia and handles various DUI / DWIMarijuana Arrests and other Georgia Criminal Defense matters.  The law office of A. Bishop Law can assist clients throughout Georgia including: Hall County (Gainesville, OakwoodFlowery Branch), Jackson County  (Jefferson, Braselton) White County (Helen, Cleveland), Lumpkin County (Dahlonega), Dawson County (Dawsonville), Habersham County (Demorest, Cornelia), and all of Northeast Georgia.

This article and/or video should not be considered nor relied upon as legal advice since it is only intended for general overview and informational purposes. Please consult with an attorney on your specific situation in order to determine an appropriate legal course of action.

Anne Bishop
A. Bishop Law, LLC
Attorney at Law
539 Green Street NW
Gainesville,Georgia
30501
US
Phone: (770) 783-5296