Korematsu v. United States: A Legacy of Justice and Civil Rights

In 1944, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld Executive Order 9066, which authorized the forced relocation and internment of Japanese Americans during World War II. The case Korematsu v. United States became a defining moment in American legal history—raising urgent questions about civil liberties, racial discrimination, and government power. Though the ruling remains controversial, its lessons remain deeply relevant in modern debates over justice and equality.

The Historical Background

Following the attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, widespread fear and racial prejudice fueled government action against Japanese Americans. President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066 in February 1942, enabling military authorities to exclude individuals of Japanese descent from designated zones—primarily on the West Coast. Over 120,000 people, two-thirds of whom were U.S. citizens, were forcibly removed from their homes and placed in internment camps. Among them was Fred Korematsu, a Japanese American man who defied the order, refusing to relocate. His act of resistance led to arrest and legal battle that would reach the Supreme Court.

The Legal Challenge and the Supreme Court Ruling

Korematsu’s case challenged the constitutionality of internment, arguing it violated equal protection under the Fourteenth Amendment. Representing him, civil rights lawyers contended that racial discrimination in national security decisions was unjust and indefensible. The Supreme Court ruled 6–3 in 1944 that the exclusion was a