1944

December
In Korematsu v. United States, 323 U.S. 214 (1944), the Supreme Court upholds Fred Korematsu’s conviction for violating Civilian Exclusion Order No. 34, which required the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II. Justice Black’s majority opinion announces for the first time that all restrictions that curtail the civil rights of a racial group must be subjected to “the most rigid scrutiny.” Nevertheless, he justifies the internment as a necessary military measure taken during a time of war. The Attorney General of California, Earl Warren, announces his support for the policy.