Hirabayashi v. United States facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Hirabayashi v. United States |
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| Argued May 10–11, 1943 Decided June 21, 1943 |
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| Full case name | Gordon Kiyoshi Hirabayashi v. United States |
| Citations | 320 U.S. 81 (more)
63 S. Ct. 1375; 87 L. Ed. 1774; 1943 U.S. LEXIS 1109
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| Prior history | United States v. Hirabayashi, 46 F. Supp. 657 (W.D. Wash. 1942); certificate from the Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. |
| Subsequent history | Petition for writ of error coram nobis granted, 627 F. Supp. 1445 (W.D. Wash. 1986); affirmed in part, reversed in part, 828 F.2d 591 (9th Cir. 1987). |
| Holding | |
| The Court held that the application of curfews against members of a minority group was constitutional when the nation was at war with the country from which that group originated. | |
| Court membership | |
| Case opinions | |
| Majority | Stone, joined by Roberts, Black, Reed, Frankfurter, Jackson |
| Concurrence | Douglas |
| Concurrence | Murphy |
| Concurrence | Rutledge |
| Laws applied | |
| United States Executive Order 9066; U.S. Const. | |
Hirabayashi v. United States was an important case decided by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1943. The Court decided that it was allowed to have curfews (rules about staying indoors at certain times) for people from a minority group. This was allowed when the country was at war with the homeland of that group's ancestors.
This case happened after the attack on Pearl Harbor and the start of World War II for the U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt had signed Executive Order 9066. This order allowed military leaders to remove "any or all persons" from certain areas. Because of this, Japanese Americans living on the West Coast had to follow a curfew and other rules. Later, many were sent to internment camps.
Gordon Hirabayashi was a young man who was found to have broken the curfew. He took his case all the way to the Supreme Court. Another similar case, Yasui v. United States, was decided on the same day. Both Gordon Hirabayashi's and Minoru Yasui's original findings were later overturned in the 1980s.
Contents
Why the Case Happened
After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, many Americans at first supported Japanese Americans. But within a few weeks, public opinion changed. People became worried about Japanese Americans possibly helping Japan during the war. Even though leaders like President Roosevelt and FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover said there was no proof of spying, the public's fear grew.
Executive Order 9066
On February 19, 1942, President Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066. This order gave military commanders the power to remove certain people from "military areas." This could happen no matter where their families came from or what country they were citizens of.
Lieutenant General John L. DeWitt was in charge of the Western Defense Command. He used this order to make several rules. First, he put a curfew on Japanese American citizens and Japanese immigrants. (First-generation immigrants, called Issei, could not become U.S. citizens at that time.) Later, other orders forced Japanese Americans to stay within Military Area No. 1. This area included Seattle, where Gordon Hirabayashi lived. On May 3, 1942, an order told Japanese Americans in Seattle to go to special meeting points. From there, they would be moved to isolated camps further inland.
Gordon Hirabayashi's Challenge
Gordon Hirabayashi was a student at the University of Washington. He was accused of breaking both the curfew and the order to move. These actions were made illegal by a law passed by Congress to support Executive Order 9066.
Taking a Stand
On May 16, 1942, Hirabayashi went to the FBI office in Seattle. He announced that he would not obey the curfew or the order to move. After he was arrested, a state senator named Mary Farquharson suggested he make his case a "test case." This meant his case would challenge the law itself. She helped him get support and money for his legal defense.
Hirabayashi was held in jail for five months. His trial happened on October 20. The jury quickly found him responsible for breaking both the curfew and the order to move. He was given two 30-day jail terms. He asked to serve his time in an outdoor labor camp instead of prison. The judge then changed his sentence to two 90-day terms, to be served at the Catalina Federal Honor Camp in Arizona.
Appealing to the Supreme Court
Hirabayashi's lawyers appealed his case. After a lower court decided not to rule on it, the case eventually reached the Supreme Court.
The government expected a legal challenge to all parts of the orders against Japanese Americans. They wanted to find cases that could help set legal examples.
The Supreme Court heard both the Hirabayashi case and the Yasui v. United States case at the same time. On June 21, 1943, the Court announced its decisions. It upheld the curfew order in both cases. Even though Hirabayashi had been found responsible for two violations, the Court only looked at the curfew part. This was because his sentences were served at the same time.
After his sentence, Gordon Hirabayashi lived in Spokane, Washington. He was later sent to McNeil Island Federal Penitentiary because he refused to join the military.
What Happened Later
The Hirabayashi case is often less known than another case, Korematsu v. United States. The Korematsu case was decided later and directly looked at whether removing Japanese Americans from the West Coast was allowed. However, the Court's decision in Korematsu still referred to the Hirabayashi ruling. This showed that the Court continued to support the rules placed on Japanese Americans.
Convictions Overturned
In 1986 and 1987, Gordon Hirabayashi's original findings were overturned. This happened because new evidence showed that government lawyers had used false information in their arguments to the Supreme Court in 1943. They had claimed there were examples of Japanese American sabotage, but they knew these rumors were not true. In 2011, the government officially admitted this mistake. The final decision to overturn his findings was made by the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in 1987.
In May 2012, President Obama gave Gordon Hirabayashi the Presidential Medal of Freedom. This is America's highest award for civilians.
In 2014, lawyers who had helped Gordon Hirabayashi, Fred Korematsu, and Minoru Yasui asked the government to officially overturn the 1943 Supreme Court decisions in their cases. They also asked the government to state that these internment decisions are not valid for holding people or groups without a fair legal process.
