The Supreme Court decision Miranda v. Arizona came down in 1966, and served as a crackdown on sloppy or abusive police interrogations. Miranda noted that suspects, when being arrested, had certain rights afforded them, including the right to remain silent while in custody, and the right to have a state-appointed attorney to defend them. Thanks to its use in an endless stream of cop shows and "Law & Order" reruns, most Americans can recite the Miranda warning by heart. We all now know that, upon arrest, we have the right to remain silent.

Not everyone was pleased about the Miranda decision, however, and many conservative pundits at the time felt that it only hamstrung police officers. There was a fear that truly evil criminals would exploit the system to their benefit, keeping silent and protected, while street cops -- knowing them to be guilty -- would be helpless to, say, beat a confession out of them.