Dr. Karen Korematsu to Deliver 2025 Murphy Lecture
March 4, 2025Korematsu will speak on “Korematsu v. United States: Is My Father’s Case Still Relevant?”
Dr. Karen Korematsu, Founder and Executive Director of the Fred T. Korematsu Institute and daughter of civil rights icon Fred Korematsu, will deliver the 2025 William P. Murphy Distinguished Lecture at UNC School of Law on Tuesday, March 19 at 12:00 p.m. in Classroom 5042.
“Karen Korematsu’s father Fred is one of our nation’s true civil rights heroes, an icon of resistance to government oppression,” notes Eric Muller, Dan K. Moore Distinguished Professor of Law in Jurisprudence and Ethics, who organized the lecture. “She has worked tirelessly to carry forward the legacy of his courage and the lesson of the Supreme Court’s failure to protect his constitutional rights in a moment of crisis. In a moment when our federal judiciary is again under pressure and human and civil rights are imperiled, Dr. Korematsu’s voice could not be more important to hear.”
In 1944, the Supreme Court upheld the forced removal and incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II in Korematsu v. United States. In 2018, the Supreme Court stated it had overruled this notorious decision in Trump v. Hawaii. However, as that same case upheld what President Trump called a “Muslim ban,” some scholars and advocates question whether the dangers highlighted by the original Korematsu ruling have truly been addressed.
Since her father’s passing in 2005, Dr. Korematsu has carried on his legacy as a national public speaker and educator, traveling throughout the country advocating for civil liberties, social justice, civics, and ethnic studies education. She has signed on to amicus briefs in several cases opposing violations of constitutional rights arising after 9/11, including Trump v. Hawaii.
In addition to delivering the Murphy Lecture, Dr. Korematsu will be visiting Professor Muller‘s Constitutional Law class and Professor Osamudia James‘s Race and the Law class during her time at Carolina Law.
The Murphy Lecture Series was established by the UNC School of Law Class of 1990 to celebrate former faculty member Professor William P. Murphy’s teaching and his work in constitutional law, labor law and civil rights. This lecture series is responsible for bringing noted lawyers, political figures and public advocates to the campus.
The event is free and open to the public.