What did the Supreme Court decide in Korematsu v. United States?
Though his loyalty was never questioned, Fred Korematsu, an American-born citizen of Japanese ancestry, was convicted for knowingly avoiding internment by the government during WWII in San Leandro, California, a “Military Area.” Korematsu claimed the ruling violated his right to due process, but in a 6-3 decision the Court said loyal United States citizens could be summarily incarcerated solely based on their race, ethnicity or national origin. In his dissent, Supreme Court Justice Frank Murphy said the internment “goes over ‘the very brink of constitutional power’ and falls into the ugly abyss of racism.” Forty years after his conviction, Korematsu challenged the ruling again and had it overturned on November 10, 1983.
