Eric Yamamoto (publishing as Eric K. Yamamoto), the Korematsu Professor of Law and Social Justice at the William S. Richardson School of Law at the

University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa The University of Hawaii at Mānoa is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Honolulu, Hawaii, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Hawaiʻi system and houses the main offic ...

, is an internationally recognized expert on issues of racial justice, including racial reconciliation and redress. Flowing from the landmark 1944

Korematsu v. United States ''Korematsu v. United States'', 323 U.S. 214 (1944), was a decision by the Supreme Court of the United States that upheld the internment of Japanese Americans from the West Coast Military Area during World War II. The decision has been widely ...

case, he is known for his work as a member of

Fred Korematsu was an American civil rights activist who resisted the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II. Shortly after the Imperial Japanese Navy launched its attack on Pearl Harbor, President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued Executive Ord ...

's 1983 legal team that succeeded in having Korematsu's original conviction overturned.

Background

After graduating from the

in 1975, Yamamoto earned his

Juris Doctor A Juris Doctor, Doctor of Jurisprudence, or Doctor of Law (JD) is a graduate-entry professional degree that primarily prepares individuals to practice law. In the United States and the Philippines, it is the only qualifying law degree. Other j ...

from the University of California Berkeley, School of Law in 1978.

Advocacy

Yamamoto worked on

, a landmark

United States Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that turn on question ...

case that challenged the

constitutionality In constitutional law, constitutionality is said to be the condition of acting in accordance with an applicable constitution; "Webster On Line" the status of a law, a procedure, or an act's accordance with the laws or set forth in the applic ...

Executive Order 9066 Executive Order 9066 was a President of the United States, United States presidential executive order signed and issued during World War II by United States president Franklin D. Roosevelt on February 19, 1942. "This order authorized the fo ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

which led to the

internment Internment is the imprisonment of people, commonly in large groups, without Criminal charge, charges or Indictment, intent to file charges. The term is especially used for the confinement "of enemy citizens in wartime or of terrorism suspects ...

of 120,000

Japanese Americans are Americans of Japanese ancestry. Japanese Americans were among the three largest Asian Americans, Asian American ethnic communities during the 20th century; but, according to the 2000 United States census, 2000 census, they have declined in ...

from California, the

Pacific Northwest The Pacific Northwest (PNW; ) is a geographic region in Western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Though no official boundary exists, the most common ...

, and the

Territory of Alaska The Territory of Alaska or Alaska Territory was an Organized incorporated territories of the United States, organized incorporated territory of the United States from August 24, 1912, until Alaska was granted statehood on January 3, 1959. The ...

. As a member of

's legal team, Yamamoto provided co-counsel for his 1983

coram nobis A writ of ''coram nobis'' (also writ of error ''coram nobis'', writ of ''coram vobis'', or writ of error ''coram vobis'') is a legal order allowing a court to correct its original judgment upon discovery of a fundamental error that did not appear ...

petition, successfully challenging the

of his conviction for resisting

, resulting in Korematsu's original conviction being overturned.

Scholarship

Among his other writings, Yamamoto is the award-winning author and coauthor of two books: *''Interracial Justice: Conflict and Reconciliation In Post-Civil Rights America'' *''Race, Rights, and Reparation: Law and the Japanese American Internment'' As well as the sole author of one book about the Korematsu case: *''In the Shadow of Korematsu'' (2018)

Awards

In 2012, the Consortium of Asian-American Law Professors created a national award in Yamamoto's name, "The Professor Eric Y. Yamamoto Emerging Scholar Award," in recognition of his "exemplary scholarship in racial justice and inspiration to emerging scholars." The award is to be granted annually to a United States law professor that is early in career who demonstrates outstanding promise. In 2006, the Society of American Law Teachers (SALT) awarded Yamamoto its national "Great Teacher Award," awarded annually, in recognition of both his "teaching of social justice" and for "expanding access to justice."

External links

Eric YamamotoKorematsu Institute

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yamamoto, Eric Year of birth missing (living people) Living people University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa alumni UC Berkeley School of Law alumni Lawyers from Hawaii American legal scholars American legal writers American academics of Japanese descent American civil rights activists of Japanese descent Internment of Japanese Americans William S. Richardson School of Law faculty Writers from Honolulu