While the Vega decision could affect anyone who is interrogated by the police, the impact will be stronger in certain groups. First will be the impact on young defendants, the intellectually disabled, and other groups more prone to coercion. By eliminating the possibility of seeking recourse, Vega minimizes the impact on groups that are more likely to fall victim to coercive interrogation. This includes the impressionable young, others with limited ability for situational reasoning, or really anyone unfamiliar with the criminal justice system.
In addition to affecting those more prone to coercion, it limits the right to seek civil suit for those that give ill-minded interrogators additional opportunities to use coercive language. This would include racial minorities and immigrants fearful of deportation. Tekoh made claims of racial abuse and deportation back to the country he and his family fled seeking asylum. Classifying Vega as a rule and not a right severely limits the ability of citizens to hold government officials responsible for invective language in interrogation settings against minority groups.
In the wake of the Dobbs decision, overturning Roe v. Wade, we inch closer to the possibility of overturning Miranda as well. In the Dickerson decision, Justice Roberts wrote that Miranda was a “constitutionally based” right and a “law” that may be applied against the states. In Vega, Justice Samuel Alito writes that Dickerson was “bold and controversial.” However, it was still precedent, and stare decisis was ignored. Much like Miranda, Dobbs was a decades-long standing right that was debated in both public and legal circles. Ultimately, Roe was overruled in Dobbs, and stare decisis was also ignored. By shifting Miranda from a right to a “judicially crafted rule,” the Court takes Miranda one step closer to a similar fate.
The Vega decision undermines much of the power of Miranda. Miranda will still be enforced in criminal cases. Juries should not hear inadmissible statements. However, Vega ends a criminal defendant’s ability to seek remedies for the harm of violations. There will be no recourse for Miranda violations resulting in wrongful convictions or statements that are admitted despite coercion from racist language or threats of deportation. By stripping Miranda of categorization as a right, it opens the door for further erosion or even eventually being overruled.