APABA Urges ATLA to Withdraw Its Financial Support of Coble
October 29, 2003October 29, 2003
Association of Trial Lawyers of America
c/o David S. Casey, President
44 Montgomery St., Ste. 1303
San Francisco, CA 94104
Re: Congressman Howard Coble
Dear Mr. Casey:
By way of introduction, I am the President of the Asian Pacific American Bar Association of Los Angeles County. The Asian Pacific American Bar Association of Los Angeles (APABA-LA) is a member organization comprised of attorneys and jurists practicing throughout Los Angeles County. Many of our members have personal experience with the devastating impact wrought by the internment of Americans and residents of Japanese ancestry during World War II. I write with regard to a matter brought to our attention involving the organization of which you are President, the Association of Trial Lawyers of America. A number of members of our organization are also members of the Association of Trial Lawyers of America (ATLA).
In February of this year, Congressman Howard Coble of North Carolina, Chairman of the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security, created a furor in the Asian Pacific American community by publicly justifying the imprisonment of Japanese Americans during World War II. As you undoubtedly know, over 110,000 persons of Japanese heritage were taken from their homes during World War II, some on as little as 24-hours notice, to distant “camps,” most for the duration of the war. They received no notice of any charges, no hearing and no right to an attorney. The United States Supreme Court, in oft-criticized landmark decisions (Korematsu vs. United States, Hirabayashi vs. United States and Yasui vs. United States) upheld their incarceration despite the fact that not one Japanese American was charged with espionage or sabotage. In 1983 and 1984, respectively, the convictions of those men who challenged the wartime decisions were overturned based on court findings that the government knowingly withheld evidence from the Supreme Court and altered and destroyed evidence which contradicted governmental claims that the mass internment was based on “military necessity”.
On a radio call-in show, replying to a caller who suggested that all Arabs in the United States be put into prison camps, Congressman Coble defended the mass internment of Japanese Americans claiming that “Some [Japanese-Americans] probably were intent on doing harm to us…just as some of these Arab-Americans are probably intent on doing harm to us.”
Congressman Coble also remarked: “We were at war. They [Japanese Americans] were an endangered species…For many of these [Japanese-Americans], it wasn’t safe for them to be on the street.” These statements are not only outrageous distortions of the facts but also recklessly inflammatory at a time when Americans are struggling with the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
Notably, his statements are contrary to the official findings of the government of which he should have been aware. He was a Congressman when The Commission on the Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians concluded that war hysteria, lack of political leadership and racism were the cause of the incarceration of Japanese Americans, not concern for their safety as he publicly stated. He was a Congressman when President Gerald Ford rescinded Executive Order 9066 (which authorized the exclusion of Japanese Americans from West Coast states) and called the internment a “mistake.” He was a Congressman when the convictions of Fred Korematsu, Gordon Hirabayashi and Minoru Yasui were overturned because of governmental misconduct during their Supreme Court appeals. His ignorance borders on a deliberate falsification of history.
Coble’s remarks have received condemnation of the California Legislature, in Assembly Joint Resolution 30 (Liu) which was unanimously adopted by our Assembly and Senate. I attach a copy of the resolution for your information.
We have been advised that ATLA is Congressman Coble’s largest single contributor having given $38,000 to his campaign during the last 4 election cycles. While we recognize that ATLA may have important organizational reasons for supporting Congressman Coble, the sheer damage he has caused not only to the image of Japanese Americans, other Asian Americans, Muslim and Arab Americans, but also to the American public, is a compelling reason to reassess your support of this man. Our community has given him ample opportunity to meet and discuss the issues. While he initially agreed to do so, he recently reneged on a promise to meet with the Japanese American Citizens League regarding this matter.
In light of the fear surrounding September 11, the ensuing cutbacks on civil rights and the continued racial profiling by this administration, Congressman Coble’s statements are dangerous and unsettling and make him unsuitable to chair the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security. We ask you to withhold your contributions to his campaign until he steps down as Chair of the Subcommittee. We would appreciate your earliest response to this profound concern of our organization.
Sincerely,
Paula A. Daniels
President, APABA
Enclosure
cc: Congressman Mike Honda
Congressman Bob Matsui
Assemblymember Wilma Chan
Assemblymember Judy Chu
Assemblymember Carol Liu
Assemblymember George Nakano
Assemblymember Leland Yee
Mr. Dennis Archer, President-elect, American Bar Association
Mr. Lawrence Baca, Chair, Commission on Racial and Ethnic Diversity
in the Profession
Mr. Carlos Singh, President, Hispanic National Bar Association
Ms. Ruthe Catilico Ashely, President, NAPABA
Mr. Clyde Bailey, President-elect, National Bar Association
Mr. Anthony Stuart, Board of Governors, Consumer Attorneys of California
Mr. Dale Minami
