Mercury News: Californians honor World War II internment defier
SAN FRANCISCO—Californians are observing the first official statewide day set aside to honor Fred Korematsu, who fought the World War II internment of Japanese-Americans.
State lawmakers last year voted unanimously to designate Jan. 30 as Fred Korematsu Day of Civil Liberties and the Constitution.
The measure encourages Californians to recognize the importance of preserving civil liberties.
Korematsu was arrested in Oakland in 1942 after refusing to enter an internment camp.
His case led the U.S. Supreme Court to consider whether the internment of 120,000 Japanese-Americans was legal. The high court ruled against him in 1944.
A San Francisco federal court judge formally vacated Korematsu's conviction 40 years later. President Bill Clinton presented him with the Medal of Freedom in 1998. Korematsu died in 2005.
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