Escobedo v. Illinois: Not Quite Forgotten

The “Miranda warnings” have pervaded American popular culture, but the predecessor case, Escobedo v. Illinois (1964), is often overlooked or given scant attention. This year marks the 50th anniversary of that groundbreaking precursor. While Miranda v. Arizona is among the U.S. Supreme Court’s most significant criminal justice decisions, without Escobedo, the Court may never have reached that juncture. Peter Fenton and Michael Shapiro re-examine this case, which they call one of the most important “stepping stone” cases in history.