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By Stephen Knight, Director of Communications, JustLeadershipUSA
What do TV cop shows have to do with the Luigi Mangione case now playing out in a New York City courtroom?
I’ll explain!
Last week, a state judge announced that a gun found during a search of Mangione’s backpack would be allowed as evidence in the trial against the 28-year-old accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
Justice Gregory Carro found that it was “an improper, warrantless search” and many of the other contents of the backpack would not be allowed as evidence.
The search of Mangione’s backpack was not the only thing “improper” about the actions of Pennsylvania police when they arrested Mangione back in December of 2024. The police also failed to read Mr. Mangione his Miranda rights and ignored his request to remain silent by continuing to ask him questions, according to Mangione’s lawyers.
“[Miranda] warnings have become part of our national culture.”
By now, we’ve probably all heard of our “Miranda rights.”
“You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to consult with a lawyer before or during questioning. If you cannot afford a lawyer, one will be provided for you at no cost prior to any questioning.”
While the Miranda vs. Arizona case was decided in 1966, it wasn’t until Dickerson vs. the United States in 2000, that the Supreme Court upheld Miranda in a 7 to 2 decision. Chief Justice William Rehnquist speaking for the majority at the time stated that “the warnings have become part of our national culture.”
And that’s the power of pop culture in criminal justice reform and changing narratives about what we, as a society, come to expect from our law enforcement and criminal legal system.
We’ll see how all of this plays out when Mangione goes to trial in September. But the case for centering the lived experience of people impacted by the criminal legal system in our movies, television, and the media couldn’t be more clear!
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