Opinion ID: 1582584
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Holding of Edwards v. Arizona

Text: In Edwards v. Arizona, supra , the suspect, Edwards, was arrested on charges of robbery, burglary, and first-degree murder. The arresting officer read Edwards his Miranda rights. Edwards stated that he understood those rights and that he was willing to answer questions regarding the charges. Edwards told the police that he wanted to make a deal and later stated that he wanted to speak to an attorney before making a deal. The officer ceased questioning Edwards, and Edwards was taken to county jail. The next day, however, two police detectives (colleagues of the arresting officer) came to the jail and asked to speak with Edwards. Edwards refused to talk with the detectives, but the guard told him that he had to talk with them. The detectives informed Edwards of his Miranda rights, and Edwards agreed to talk to the detectives. He subsequently incriminated himself during the interrogation. Edwards's confession was admitted at trial, and he was convicted on all the charges. The Supreme Court in Edwards held: [W]hen an accused has invoked his right to have counsel present during custodial interrogation, a valid waiver of that right cannot be established by showing only that he responded to further police-initiated custodial interrogation even if he has been advised of his rights. We further hold that an accused... having expressed his desire to deal with the police only through counsel, is not subject to further interrogation by the authorities until counsel has been made available to him, unless the accused himself initiates further communication, exchanges, or conversations with the police. 451 U.S. at 484-85, 101 S.Ct. 1880 (footnote omitted). In support of its decision, the Supreme Court cited several cases issued both before and after Miranda that had established a rule to protect suspects in police custody from being badgered by police officers into waiving their previously asserted right to counsel. [2] [This] Court has strongly indicated that additional safeguards are necessary when an accused asks for counsel .... 451 U.S. at 484, 101 S.Ct. 1880. [I]t is inconsistent with Miranda and its progeny for the authorities, at their instance, to reinterrogate an accused in custody if he has clearly asserted his right to counsel. 451 U.S. at 485, 101 S.Ct. 1880. The Supreme Court in Edwards made it clear that a suspect may waive his previously asserted right to counsel and respond to interrogation. However, when an accused has invoked his right to counsel, a valid waiver of that right cannot be established by showing only that the accused responded to police-initiated interrogation after again being advised of his Miranda rights. The Supreme Court held that, based on a totality of the circumstances, Edwards's Fifth Amendment rights were violated and his confession due to be suppressed because Edwards had not been appointed counsel and the police had initiated contact with Edwards after he had requested counsel.