Answer the following short answer question using complete sentences. Use at least two (2) examples from this packet to justify y
our answer. In your opinion, do you think that the ruling of the United States Supreme Court (the majority opinion) was wrong in its 1944 decision? Why or Why not?
The ruling determined that Japanese internment during World War II was constitutional. Chief Justice Hugo Black wrote that the need to protect American from espionage outweighed the individual rights of Fred Korematsu and the civil rights of all Americans of Japanese descent.
The Court refused to address all the other civil rights violations that marked the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II. Korematsu also lost a later ruling that established that individual rights are not absolute and could be suspended during wartime.
The Supreme Court case is a poignant reminder to anyone that is not concerned with the extent to which the last two administrations have become to scale back on civil liberties as a reaction to the war on terrorism. The Authorization for Use of Military Force grants the president the right to use all "necessary and appropriate force” against any person or country that was involved with the attack on September 11, 2001, including American citizens. The National Defense Authorization Act allows the military to detain United States citizens indefinitely without charge or trial for mere suspicions of ties to terrorism. The Patriot Act allows for warrantless wiretapping and electronic surveillance under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.
