[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 28 (Tuesday, February 23, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E252]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  HONORING THE CORAM NOBIS LEGAL TEAM

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. ROBERT T. MATSUI

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 23, 1999

  Mr. MATSUI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of the National 
Japanese American Historical Society's Day of Remembrance dinner 
honoring the Coram Nobis Legal Team.
  In the 1940s, three Americans of Japanese ancestry challenged the 
United States Government's order of a racially selective curfew and 
incarceration of Japanese Americans in internment camps. At that time, 
these three men were all convicted and their sentences upheld by the 
U.S. Supreme Court.
  Decades later, the Coram Nobis Legal Team challenged these 
convictions citing previously suppressed evidence. This team of young 
lawyers, led by Dale Minami, Peggy Nagae, and Rod Kawakami, worked hard 
on behalf of Fred Korematsu, Minoru Yasui, and Gordon Hirabayashi.
  All three convictions were vacated some 40 years after World War II 
thanks to the intellect and legal acumen of this fine judicial team. 
Their work has become an important part of the history of Japanese 
Americans in this country.
  I salute the courage and commitment of the young attorneys that 
helped to close such a dark chapter in our Nation's history. At the 
same time, their tireless efforts opened the door to Redress and 
Reparations for all those Americans of Japanese ancestry falsely 
interned in the 1940s.
  Together, these lawyers and their clients became eternal symbols of 
justice and freedom in the United States of America. They ultimately 
fulfilled our common destiny as a nation of equal justice under law.
  They will be honored by the National Japanese American Historical 
Society based in San Francisco, California, as part of its Day of 
Remembrance activities. Founded in 1981, this organization is dedicated 
to the preservation, promotion, and dissemination of educational 
materials relating to the history and culture of Japanese Americans. I 
strongly support its important mission.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask all of my colleagues to join with me in not only 
recognizing the National Japanese American Historical Society and the 
Day of Remembrance, but also in commending the attorneys who helped to 
successfully exonerate the wartime internees. Together, they upheld the 
very highest standards of justice in the American legal system.

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