Korematsu v. United States: Fred Korematsu and His Fight for Justice (12/15/22)

Join us for a trial reenactment of Korematsu v. United States. During World War II, Japanese Americans were regarded as a threat to U.S. security and were sent to remote internment camps in the West. However, Korematsu stood up for his rights as an American-born citizen. He took his case all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, which rejected his claim that the relocation of Japanese Americans during the War was based on racial bias. At this program CBA members will reenact key moments from his trial and panelists will examine key areas of law involved in the case. This program will be held in person at The Chicago Bar Association building (321 S. Plymouth Court, Chicago, IL 60604). Sandwiches will be served in advance of the program.

The trial reenactment materials were drafted and generously provided by the Asian American Bar Association of New York. The program is co-sponsored by The Chicago Bar Association D.I.C.E Committee, the Young Lawyers Section of the CBA and the Japanese American Bar Association of Chicago.
 
Remarks:
Daniel Berkowitz, Chair of Young Lawyers Section, The Chicago Bar Association
Nina Fain, Treasurer & Co-Chair D.I.C.E Committee, The Chicago Bar Association
Eirene Nakamura Salvi, Co-Chair and Founding Member, Japanese Bar Association of Chicago

Panelists:

Thor Inouye is a fourth-generation Japanese American or Yonsei.  His great-grandparents immigrated from Japan in the late 1800s to California as part of the agricultural boom there.  During World War II, his grandparents were forced into the relocation center at Santa Ana Racetrack.  His father was born in a horse stable in May of 1942, before the family was relocated to Manzanar in the Mojave Desert.  They were released in 1945 and returned to their home in central California.  They were fortunate to have a family friend who was the town lawyer.  He disagreed with the government’s actions and placed the family’s property in trust, so they had a home to return to.  Most other families weren’t so lucky.

Thor was inspired by the family lawyer’s assistance and eventually pursued a career in law.  While attending law school at the University of Colorado, he received the Minoru Yasui Award for his dedication to the Asian American law student community.  After graduation, Thor joined the Colorado State Public Defender.  During his twenty plus years in practice, he has worked in government, private practice, and in-house. Thor is now the Director of Attorney Hiring, Professional Development, and Diversity for Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul.

Ann M. Lousin is a Professor of Law with the University of Illinois Chicago teaching sales transactions and Illinois Constitutional Law. She joined the faculty of the law school in 1975.

Between college and law school, Ann Lousin studied political science at the University of Heidelberg in Germany. After graduating from law school in 1968, she was a research assistant at the Sixth Illinois Constitutional Convention, where she worked on the drafting of the 1970 Illinois constitution. From 1971 to 1975, she was on the staff of the Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives, including two years as Parliamentarian of the House.

She has served on several not-for-profit boards and governmental commissions, including a term as Chairman of the Illinois State Civil Service Commission. She is active in the commercial law committees of the American and Chicago Bar Associations and has been the chair of the CBA Constitutional Law Committee. Professor Lousin has been a leader in other legal organizations, including service as Chair of the Board of Governors of the Armenian Bar Association from 1995 to 1998. She has been appointed representative to the Advisory Committee for the ABA's Rule of Law Initiative in Armenia.

She lectures and consults on the Illinois Constitution, general public law issues, and commercial law in the U.S. and abroad. In 2009 she was elected a member of the American Law Institute.

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Live CBA Committee meetings and seminars will take place via Zoom webinar.  You will click on "view video" and be directly connected to the meeting/seminar on Zoom.  (You will not receive a Zoom link.)

You MUST have Zoom Desktop Client on your Mac or PC to view a live program. If using a mobile device, you must have the Zoom App (available in the App Store or Google Play).

System requirements for Mac & PC can be found here. System requirements for mobile devices can be here.  

Please note that audience members do not need video or audio access.  Audience members are able to submit questions via the chat or Q & A features of Zoom. 

Chat: Open in-meeting chat, allowing you to send chat messages to and send a message to the host, panelists, and attendees (if permitted). Question & Answer: Open the Q&A window, allowing you to ask questions to the host and panelists. They can either reply back to you via text in the Q&A window or answer your question live.