The 1944 Supreme Court case Korematsu vs. United States will be commemorated on Tuesday, Dec. 10, at 7:30 p.m. at the Japanese American National Museum’s Tateuchi Democracy Forum, 111 N. Central Ave. in Little Tokyo.
In recognition of the 75th anniversary of the Supreme Court decision, East West Players and SCOTUS Theater will host a reading featuring excerpts from this case and from Trump v. Hawaii (2018).
In Korematsu, the court declared the incarceration of Japanese Americans constitutional; Trump v. Hawaii overturned Korematsu but upheld bans on travel from multiple Muslim-majority countries.
A post-show discussion will provide context, engaging questions of justice, liberty, exclusion, and the limitations of the courts. The event is aimed at artists, activists, citizens, and community leaders.
Suggested donation: $20. Cash and check donations will be accepted at the door, benefiting organizations working to protect the civil rights of immigrants.
Community partner: Asian Pacific American Bar Association of Los Angeles County.
For more information, call (213) 625-7000 or visit www.eastwestplayers.org.
Just an FYI. The Court did NOT find the incarceration constitutional. It failed to reach that issue. It only held that the exclusion was constitutional. I hope you have some knowledgeable legal scholars on the panel and I hope you will discuss the governmental misconduct which led to the overturning of Korematsu’s conviction in 1984.