Question

Why did the Supreme Court ruling in Korematsu v. United States (1944) anger supporters of civil liberties

Answer 1

Answer:

The Supreme Court ruling in Korematsu v. United States in 1944 angered supporters of civil liberties because it was a law that arbitrarily restricted the rights of many American citizens, for the simple fact of belonging to a certain ethnic group, the Japanese-Americans.

During World War II, following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and the American entry into the war, a racist wave began within the United States government, targeting mainly Japanese-Americans, and to a lesser extent, against Germans and Italians.

Thus, Japanese people's property in America began to be confiscated, sending these people to detention camps as they feared they might support the Japanese government in the war. Fred Korematsu, born in America and citizen of the nation, claimed this situation before the court, saying that it violated the Fifth Amendment.

The Supreme Court, in its ruling, determined that this situation should be maintained as it responded to questions of defense and national security, endorsing the curtailment and subjugation of the rights of thousands of innocent American citizens.

Answer 2

Because it made the internment of certain American citizens legitimate.