Korematsu v. United States (dissent)

E80672

Korematsu v. United States (dissent) is Justice Robert H. Jackson’s famous Supreme Court opinion condemning the wartime internment of Japanese Americans and warning against validating racial discrimination under the Constitution.

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Statements (47)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Supreme Court dissenting opinion
argues courts should not accept unfounded military claims to justify racial discrimination
guilt is personal and cannot be attributed to a racial group
author Robert H. Jackson
citedIn judicial opinions criticizing Korematsu v. United States
later civil liberties scholarship
condemns wartime internment of Japanese Americans
constitutionalProvisionDiscussed Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution
surface form: Fifth Amendment

war powers of the federal government
contrastsWith majority’s acceptance of military judgment
country United States of America
surface form: United States
court Supreme Court of the United States
criticizes mass internment without individualized suspicion
military exclusion orders based on race
date 1944
emphasizes danger of precedent legitimizing racial discrimination
importance of constitutional limits in wartime
famousPassage “a loaded weapon ready for the hand of any authority that can bring forward a plausible claim of an urgent need”
“the Court for all time has validated the principle of racial discrimination in criminal procedure and of transplanting American citizens”
field civil liberties
civil rights law
constitutional law
historicalSignificance influential statement against racial classifications in constitutional law
landmark critique of judicial deference in wartime
involvesParty Fred Korematsu
judgeRoleOfAuthor Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States
jurisdiction United States of America
surface form: United States
language English
legalIssue civil liberties during wartime
constitutional rights
racial discrimination
wartime internment of Japanese Americans
legalPhilosophyExpressed skepticism of unchecked executive and military power
strong protection of individual rights against group-based punishment
opinionType individual dissent
opposesHoldingOf Korematsu v. United States
surface form: Korematsu v. United States (majority opinion)
partOfCase Korematsu v. United States
positionInCase dissent
publicationForm United States Reports opinion
relatedTo Japanese American internment
World War II home front
judicial review of military decisions
timeContext World War II
viewsInternmentAs unconstitutional racial discrimination
viewsMilitaryJudgmentsAs subject to judicial review
warnsAgainst creating a loaded weapon for future misuse of military necessity
validating racial discrimination under the Constitution

Referenced by (2)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Equal Protection Clause basisFor Korematsu v. United States (dissent)
this entity surface form: Korematsu v. United States (majority and later criticism)
Robert H. Jackson notableWork Korematsu v. United States (dissent)