Oyama V. California - The Court's Decision

The Court's Decision

After the case was decided in a trial court and was appealed to and upheld by the California Supreme Court, it went to the United States Supreme Court via a writ of certiorari. Dean Acheson, the Secretary of State under President Harry S. Truman, presented the case for petitioners.

The petitioners of the case listed three grievances of the Alien Land Law as it was applied in this case:

• First, that it deprived Fred Oyama of the equal protection of the laws and of his privileges as an American citizen;
• Secondly, that it denied Kajiro Oyama equal protection of the laws;
• Thirdly, it contravened the due process clause by sanctioning a taking of property after expiration of the appropriate limitations period.

The Court agreed by a vote of 8 to 1 with the petitioners’ first contention – that is, that the Alien Land Law, as applied in this case, did indeed deprive Fred Oyama of the equal protection of California’s laws and of his privileges as an American citizen. Because this decision alone was grounds for reversal of the California Supreme Court decision, the Court saw no need to address the second and third contentions.