Text of today’s opinion
on Feb 24, 2010 at 10:06 am
The Court released a single, unanimous decision this morning in Maryland v. Shatzer (08-680), reversing and remanding the lower court. The majority opinion, written by Justice Scalia, is available here. Justice Thomas wrote a separate opinion concurring in part and concurring in the judgment, while Justice Stevens wrote an opinion concurring in the judgment.
Holding: The full Court recognizes an exception to the 1981 decision in Edwards v. Arizona and now establishes that a “break in custody” permits the police to resume questioning a suspect who had previously asked for a lawyer. Furthermore, seven members of the Court agree that if the break in custody lasts more than two weeks between interrogations, the Edwards decision does not apply to suppress a confession. Justices Stevens and Thomas do not join the fourteen-day rule in their concurrences.
The full text of the opinion follows the jump.
