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Korematsu V. California Case Study

2050 Words9 Pages

In the aftermath of the bombing of Pearl Harbor in December 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066 on February 19, 1942. The order was a “protection against espionage and against sabotage to national defense material, national defense premises, and national defense utilities.” The order also allowed for military commanders to define military areas at their discretion. Congress also passed a law in conjunction with the order to penalize anyone who violated the imposed restrictions. The restrictions included forced removal to assembly, relocation, and curfews. The relocation took those of Japanese descent to internment camps where they would live in barracks with no running water or ways of cooking. The only things they were allowed to bring were their basic personal belongings, many lost a heavy amount of money when they were given no choice but to …show more content…

He added that applying these restrictions to people only of Japanese descent was discrimination based on race and therefore prohibited by the constitution. Susan Serrano quotes Korematsu’s plea in the courtroom, “I would like to see the government admit that they were wrong and do something about it so this will never happen again to any American citizen of any race, creed, or color.” In 1942, The District Court for the Northern District of California, in Korematsu v. California, found Korematsu guilty for remaining in the city of San Leandro, California, violating 18 U.S.C. § 97a. The District Court stated that Korematsu would be placed on probation for five years. Korematsu appealed the decision to the Circuit Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. A year later in 1943, the Court of Appeals upheld Korematsu’s conviction, ruling in favor of the United States. The case was then appealed once more to be heard by the U.S. Supreme

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