Speed Reads

making history

In travel ban ruling, Supreme Court overturns Korematsu decision

The Supreme Court upheld President Trump's travel ban Tuesday, but in the process it quietly overturned its 1944 ruling that the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II was constitutional. The case, Korematsu v. United States, was invoked in the dissent, but "whatever rhetorical advantage the dissent may see in doing so, Korematsu has nothing to do with this case," the majority opinion said.

The majority went on to argue that the "forcible relocation of U.S. citizens to concentration camps, solely and explicitly on the basis of race, is objectively unlawful and outside the scope of presidential authority." The reference by the dissent, though, "affords this court the opportunity to make express what is already obvious: Korematsu was gravely wrong the day it was decided, has been overruled in the court of history, and — to be clear — 'has no place in law under the Constitution.'" Read the entire statement below. Jeva Lange