Event Title
Start Date
6-2-2013 12:00 PM
End Date
6-2-2013 1:00 PM
Description
In 1942 at the age of 23, Fred Korematsu intentionally defied Executive Order 9066 and refused to go to the government’s incarceration camps for American citizens of Japanese ancestry. After he was arrested and convicted of defying the government’s curfew law, he appealed his case all the way to the United States Supreme Court. In 1944, the Supreme Court ruled against him, ruling that the incarceration was justified due to military necessity. It was not until 1983 that a team of lawyers helped overturn Korematsu’s conviction in the United States District Court, Northern District of California.
On September 23, 2010, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger of California signed into law a bill that designates January 30 of each year as the Fred Korematsu Day of Civil Liberties and the Constitution. It was observed for the first time on January 30, 2011.
WWII Japanese Internments: Can It Happen Again?
In 1942 at the age of 23, Fred Korematsu intentionally defied Executive Order 9066 and refused to go to the government’s incarceration camps for American citizens of Japanese ancestry. After he was arrested and convicted of defying the government’s curfew law, he appealed his case all the way to the United States Supreme Court. In 1944, the Supreme Court ruled against him, ruling that the incarceration was justified due to military necessity. It was not until 1983 that a team of lawyers helped overturn Korematsu’s conviction in the United States District Court, Northern District of California.
On September 23, 2010, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger of California signed into law a bill that designates January 30 of each year as the Fred Korematsu Day of Civil Liberties and the Constitution. It was observed for the first time on January 30, 2011.