WASHINGTON — Today, Jon M. Greenbaum, chief counsel for the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, released a statement following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision on Vega v. Tekoh:
“We are disappointed by the Supreme Court’s decision in Vega v. Tekoh, which addressed Miranda rights established over 55 years ago. To be clear, Miranda remains the law in criminal cases despite today’s decision. But through this case, the Court has once again limited the ways in which police can be held accountable when they commit misconduct. After today, people can no longer sue law enforcement for purposefully violating their Miranda rights, resulting in officers acting with impunity for their unlawful actions. After years of protests seeking justice for George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and others, this ruling ignores the plight that Black people and other communities of color face in their daily interaction with law enforcement. Taken together with the failure of Congress to pass the Justice in Policing Act, this case has diminished the ability of people to confront police misconduct even further. Though sobering, we in the civil rights community will continue to advocate for meaningful police reform while addressing what the Supreme Court has done today.”
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About the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law – The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization, formed in 1963 at the request of President John F. Kennedy to mobilize the nation’s leading lawyers as agents for change in the Civil Rights Movement. Today, the Lawyers’ Committee uses legal advocacy to achieve racial justice, fighting inside and outside the courts to ensure that Black people and other people of color have the voice, opportunity, and power to make the promises of our democracy real. For more information, please visit https://lawyerscommittee.org
