On September 16, 2024, the Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University hosted a re-enactment of the Supreme Court’s controversial 1944 decision to uphold the constitutionality of interning Japanese Americans solely on the basis of their race. The re-enactment that was used to commemorate Constitution Day this year was created and narrated by the Honorable Denny Chin, a senior judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, and his wife Kathy Hirata Chin.
The showcase, co-sponsored by the Law School’s Asian-Pacific American Law Students Association (APALSA) and the Hofstra Trial Advocacy Association (HTAA), featured a talented cast of Hofstra Law students, faculty, administrators, along with Hofstra University President Susan Poser and Law School Dean Jenny Roberts. The compelling re-enactment portrayed the life of civil rights activist Fred Korematsu, who resisted internment during World War II. After the performance, Judge Chin and Professor Julian Ku led a discussion on Korematsu’s lasting impact on the justice system.
Cast members included:
- Judge Denny Chin, Narrator 1
- Kathy Hirata Chin, Narrator 2
- Norman Chuk, Fred Korematsu
- Ruben Cerri-Droz, Henry McLemore
- Vicky Dong, General John L. DeWitt
- Emma Kiernan, A.J. Zirpoli.
- Domenico Pensa III, Oliver Mansfield
- Brian O’Regan, Wayne Collins
- Joseph Diez, Judge Adolphus St. Sure
- Susan Poser, Chief Justice Harlan Fiske Stone
- Marisa Marzolini, Judge Denman
- Alaina Ciccone, Charles Horsky
- Marissa Tedeschi, Charles Fahy
- Benjamin Morawek, Justice Frankfurter
- Jenny Roberts, Justice Jackson
- Michael Dores, Justice Rutledge
- Eva Badowska, Justice Black
- Nicholas Salter, Justice Roberts
- Jennifer Mone, Justice Murphy
- Angela Qu, Edward Ennis
- Vicky Dong, Professor Peter Irons
- Christina Portuallo, Dale Minami
- Briana MacLaren, Judge Marilyn Hall Patel
- Caitlin McDonough, Victor Stone
- Alissa Popeck, Lori Bannai
- Vicky Dong, Ed Chen
- Nicole Gasparis, Neal Katyal
- Angela Qu, Karen Korematsu
Read more about Hofstra Law’s 2024 Constitution Day event.
The post Hofstra Law Hosts Constitution Day Re-Enactment of 1944 SCOTUS Trial Upholding the Internment of Japanese Americans appeared first on Hofstra Law News.