Courtesy of Library of Congress, Black, Hugo Lafayette, "U.S. Reports: Korematsu v. United States, 323 U.S. 214," 1944
Description
The Korematsu case was brought to the U.S. Supreme Court by Fred Korematsu to challenge Japanese internment. It has been regarded as one of the worst decisions handed down by the Court. Korematsu did not initially comply with Executive Order 9066, and the subsequent 6-3 decision handed down from the Supreme Court upheld internment as a military necessity. The majority opinion was written by Justice Hugo Black and the dissenting opinion was written by Justice Robert H. Jackson.
Transcribed Excerpts from Korematsu v. United States
Source-Dependent Questions
- In the majority opinion in Excerpt 1, what justification does Justice Black give for upholding the decision?
- How did the opinion categorize disloyal citizens? How does the dissenting opinion in Excerpt 3 argue against the idea that some disloyal citizens would justify this type of action?
- Why does the justice in the dissenting opinion speak about the arguments used by nations the U.S. was at war with in his opinion?
Citation Information
Black, Hugo Lafayette, "U.S. Reports: Korematsu v. United States, 323 U.S. 214," 1944. Courtesy of Library of Congress