Which case involved the government's removal of Japanese Americans during World War II?

• A. Korematsu v. United States
• B. United States v. Nixon
• C. Dred Scott v. Sandford
• D. Plessy v. Ferguson

Answer: (A)

The core idea tested is how the Supreme Court treated civil liberties during a national crisis. During World War II, the U.S. government ordered many Japanese Americans into relocation centers, a policy tied to Executive Order 9066. The landmark ruling that addressed this action is Korematsu v. United States, where the Court upheld the removal as constitutional in the name of military necessity. This decision shows how, in emergencies, the courts have sometimes given deference to national security concerns over individual rights, a stance later widely criticized and eventually overturned in broader public understanding and redress efforts. The other cases involve different matters entirely: one concerns presidential power and Watergate, another concerns citizenship and slavery pre-Civil War, and the last deals with racial segregation and the “separate but equal” doctrine.