Three Supreme Court Cases
Hirabayashi v. United States (1943)
Korematsu v. United States (1944)
Ex parte Endo (1944)
Introduction:
In this section your group will research the three Supreme Court cases listed above. Below is a list of
vocabulary terms that will help you to complete your research.
Vocabulary:
• civil liberties—basic individual rights of all citizens, as expressed in the Bill of Rights and reinforced
by the 14th Amendment. These include such liberties as freedom of speech, press, religion, and assembly;
freedom from unreasonable search and seizure; and the right to privacy.
• due process of the law—guaranteed by the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments, governments cannot
deprive people of their lives, liberty, or property without “due process,” that is, appropriate legal
proceedings.
• equal protection of the law—guaranteed by the Fourteenth Amendment, all citizens have equal
protection of the law. This provision prevents the government from discriminating against any particular
group, and ensures citizens’ civil rights.
• espionage—the practice of gathering, transmitting, or losing through gross negligence information
relating to the defense of the U.S. with the intent that or with reason to believe that the information will be
used to the injury of the U.S. or the advantage of a foreign nation
• executive order—legally binding orders issued by the president
• rights—a person’s justifiable claim, protected by law, to act or be treated in a certain way.
• fifth column activity—people who aid the enemy from within their own country.
• writ---formal written order issued by a body with administrative or judicial jurisdiction; in modern
usage, this body is generally a court.
• writ of habeas corpus---a legal action or writ by means of which detainees can seek relief from
unlawful imprisonment.