Whats the big deal about the Fifth Amendment?
Dear Straight Dope: I am a doctor from India and am very curious about the following: Very often movies and TV series made in America show lawyers invoking the 5th amendment to save their client. What I know is that the first 10 amendments to the US constitution constitute the Bill of Rights. What makes the 5th one special? — Dr. Anurakshat Gupta The Fifth Amendment says: “No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous, crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a grand jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the militia, when in actual service, in time of war, or public danger; nor shall any person be subject, for the same offence, to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled, in any criminal case, to be a witness against himself; nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.” That’s one hell of a sente
