Calif. bill would create day of honor for Fred Korematsu, who challenged WWII internment order

Calif. bill would honor WWII internment challenger

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California lawmakers have united to honor a man who challenged the World War II internment of Japanese-Americans, but not without partisan bickering over the new Arizona immigration law.

The state Assembly on Thursday unanimously passed a bill designating Jan. 30 as Fred Korematsu Day of Civil Liberties and the Constitution in California.

Korematsu, who died in 2005, was arrested in Oakland in 1942 after refusing to enter an internment camp. His case led the U.S. Supreme Court to examine the internment order’s legality.

Several Democratic lawmakers said the bill was a reminder of the need to defy injustices. They invoked the Arizona law as an example.

Republicans said tying the law to the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II was political posturing.