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Civil Liberties Act of 1988 turns 25

 
Today is the 25th anniversary of the Civil Liberties Act of 1988, the law that apologized and authorized compensation for the internment of Japanese-American citizens during World War II.  Parties who would like to learn about the internment or its aftermath may be interested in the following historical legal documents:
 
  • Executive Order 9066: In 1942 President Franklin D. Roosevelt designated certain areas of the United States as “military areas” from which all persons could be excluded, and authorized the Secretary of War to enforce compliance with this exclusion policy.
  • Executive Order 9102: Also in 1942, President Roosevelt formed the War Relocation Authority, an agency empowered to establish internment camps and to relocate persons to those camps.
  • Korematsu v. United States: This 1944 Supreme Court case ruled that Executive Order 9066 was constitutional.
  • Executive Order 9742: President Harry S. Truman terminated the War Relocation Authority in 1946.
  • Proclamation 4417: With this 1976 proclamation President Gerald R. Ford rescinded Executive Order 9066.
  •  Civil Liberties Act of 1988: This Act apologized for the internment and offered $20,000 in compensation to each victim.

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