Fred Korematsu was a U.S.-born Japanese-American who deliberately decided to stay in California and not be moved to an internment camp, as all Japanese-Americans were forced to do under a 1942 executive order. The Supreme Court ruled the executive order was constitutional, and the government’s need to protect against possible espionage overruled Korematsu’s individual rights. Although the U.S. government has subsequently apologized for the internment and paid reparations to those interned, this case has never been overturned. Some critics think it has even provided legal justification for the Guantanamo detainees.
