Dale Minami
Encyclopedia
Dale Minami is a San Francisco-based lawyer best known for heading the legal team that overturned the wrongful conviction of Fred Korematsu
, whose defiance of the World War II
Japanese American internment
order lead to Korematsu v. United States
, one of the most controversial United States Supreme Court decisions of the 20th century.
, California
, graduated magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa in 1968 from the University of Southern California
, and received his Juris Doctor
degree in 1971 from Boalt Hall School of Law at the University of California at Berkeley.
Minami's cases have often involved the civil rights
of Asian-Pacific Americans and other minorities. In the early 1980s, Minami helped lead a legal team of pro bono
attorneys in successfully reopening Fred Toyasaburo Korematsu v. United States, resulting in the erasure of Fred Korematsu’s criminal conviction for defying the internment. United Pilipinos for Affirmative Action v. California Blue Shield was the first employment class action lawsuit brought by Asian-Pacific Americans on behalf of Asian-Pacific Americans. Spokane JACL v. Washington State University was a class action to establish an Asian American Studies
program at Washington State University
. Nakanishi v. UCLA involved a claim for unfair denial of tenure
that resulted in the granting of tenure after several hearing and widespread publicity over discrimination in academia.
Minami has been involved in the judicial appointment process and in public policy and legislation. He served as a member of the California Fair Employment and Housing Commission and has chaired the California Attorney General
's Asian Pacific Advisory Committee. He has also served as a Commissioner on the California State Bar Association’s Commission on Judicial Nominee's Evaluation, Senator Barbara Boxer
's Judicial Screening Committee and was appointed by President Bill Clinton
as Chair of the Civil Liberties Public Education Fund in 1996.
Minami is a co-founder of the Asian Law Caucus, the Asian-American Bar Association of the Greater Bay Area, the Asian Pacific Bar of California and the Coalition of Asian Pacific Americans.
Minami has received numerous awards including the American Bar Association’s 2003 Thurgood Marshall Award, the 2003 ACLU Civil Liberties Award, the State Bar President’s Pro Bono Service Award, an honorary juris doctor degree from the McGeorge School of Law
, and the designation of a dormitory at the University of California at Santa Cruz as the “Queen Liliuokalani-Minami" Dormitory.
, Minami Tamaki LLP, specializes in personal injury
law and entertainment law
.
Clients include Kristi Yamaguchi
, Philip Kan Gotanda
and Steven Okazaki
. He is counsel to several community organizations, including the Center for Asian American Media
(formerly NAATA), and the Asian American Journalists Association
.
Fred Korematsu
was one of the many Japanese-American citizens living on the West Coast during World War II. Shortly after the Imperial Japanese Navy attacked Pearl Harbor, President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066, authorizing the Secretary of War and his military commanders to require all...
, whose defiance of the World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
Japanese American internment
Japanese American internment
Japanese-American internment was the relocation and internment by the United States government in 1942 of approximately 110,000 Japanese Americans and Japanese who lived along the Pacific coast of the United States to camps called "War Relocation Camps," in the wake of Imperial Japan's attack on...
order lead to Korematsu v. United States
Korematsu v. United States
Korematsu v. United States, 323 U.S. 214 , was a landmark United States Supreme Court case concerning the constitutionality of Executive Order 9066, which ordered Japanese Americans into internment camps during World War II....
, one of the most controversial United States Supreme Court decisions of the 20th century.
Biography and career
Minami was born in Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, graduated magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa in 1968 from the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
, and received his Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
degree in 1971 from Boalt Hall School of Law at the University of California at Berkeley.
Minami's cases have often involved the civil rights
Civil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.Civil rights include...
of Asian-Pacific Americans and other minorities. In the early 1980s, Minami helped lead a legal team of pro bono
Pro bono
Pro bono publico is a Latin phrase generally used to describe professional work undertaken voluntarily and without payment or at a reduced fee as a public service. It is common in the legal profession and is increasingly seen in marketing, technology, and strategy consulting firms...
attorneys in successfully reopening Fred Toyasaburo Korematsu v. United States, resulting in the erasure of Fred Korematsu’s criminal conviction for defying the internment. United Pilipinos for Affirmative Action v. California Blue Shield was the first employment class action lawsuit brought by Asian-Pacific Americans on behalf of Asian-Pacific Americans. Spokane JACL v. Washington State University was a class action to establish an Asian American Studies
Asian American Studies
Asian American Studies is an academic discipline which studies the experience of people of Asian ancestry in America. Closely related to other Ethnic Studies disciplines such as African American Studies, Latino/a Studies, and Native American Studies, Asian American Studies critically examines the...
program at Washington State University
Washington State University
Washington State University is a public research university based in Pullman, Washington, in the Palouse region of the Pacific Northwest. Founded in 1890, WSU is the state's original and largest land-grant university...
. Nakanishi v. UCLA involved a claim for unfair denial of tenure
Tenure
Tenure commonly refers to life tenure in a job and specifically to a senior academic's contractual right not to have his or her position terminated without just cause.-19th century:...
that resulted in the granting of tenure after several hearing and widespread publicity over discrimination in academia.
Minami has been involved in the judicial appointment process and in public policy and legislation. He served as a member of the California Fair Employment and Housing Commission and has chaired the California Attorney General
California Attorney General
The California Attorney General is the State Attorney General of California. The officer's duty is to ensure that "the laws of the state are uniformly and adequately enforced" The Attorney General carries out the responsibilities of the office through the California Department of Justice.The...
's Asian Pacific Advisory Committee. He has also served as a Commissioner on the California State Bar Association’s Commission on Judicial Nominee's Evaluation, Senator Barbara Boxer
Barbara Boxer
Barbara Levy Boxer is the junior United States Senator from California . A member of the Democratic Party, she previously served in the U.S. House of Representatives ....
's Judicial Screening Committee and was appointed by President Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
as Chair of the Civil Liberties Public Education Fund in 1996.
Minami is a co-founder of the Asian Law Caucus, the Asian-American Bar Association of the Greater Bay Area, the Asian Pacific Bar of California and the Coalition of Asian Pacific Americans.
Minami has received numerous awards including the American Bar Association’s 2003 Thurgood Marshall Award, the 2003 ACLU Civil Liberties Award, the State Bar President’s Pro Bono Service Award, an honorary juris doctor degree from the McGeorge School of Law
McGeorge School of Law
University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law is a private, ABA approved law school in the Oak Park neighborhood of the city of Sacramento, California. It is part of the University of the Pacific....
, and the designation of a dormitory at the University of California at Santa Cruz as the “Queen Liliuokalani-Minami" Dormitory.
Practice
Minami's San Francisco-based law firmLaw firm
A law firm is a business entity formed by one or more lawyers to engage in the practice of law. The primary service rendered by a law firm is to advise clients about their legal rights and responsibilities, and to represent clients in civil or criminal cases, business transactions, and other...
, Minami Tamaki LLP, specializes in personal injury
Personal injury
Personal injury is a legal term for an injury to the body, mind or emotions, as opposed to an injury to property. The term is most commonly used to refer to a type of tort lawsuit alleging that the plaintiff's injury has been caused by the negligence of another, but also arises in defamation...
law and entertainment law
Entertainment law
Entertainment law or media law is a term for a mix of more traditional categories of law with a focus on providing legal services to the entertainment industry. The principal areas of Entertainment Law overlap substantially with the well-known and conventional field of intellectual property law...
.
Clients include Kristi Yamaguchi
Kristi Yamaguchi
Kristine Tsuya "Kristi" Yamaguchi-Hedican is an American figure skater. She is the 1992 Olympic Champion in ladies' singles. Yamaguchi also won two World Figure Skating Championships in 1991 and 1992 and a U.S. Figure Skating Championships in 1992. She won one junior world title in 1988 and two...
, Philip Kan Gotanda
Philip Kan Gotanda
Philip Kan Gotanda is an American playwright and filmmaker. Much of his work deals with Asian American issues and experiences.- Biography :...
and Steven Okazaki
Steven Okazaki
Steven Okazaki is an American filmmaker. He is Sansei Japanese American and is based in the San Francisco Bay Area...
. He is counsel to several community organizations, including the Center for Asian American Media
Center for Asian American Media
The Center for Asian American Media was founded in 1980. The San Francisco-based organization, formerly known the National Asian American Telecommunications Association , has grown into the largest organization dedicated to the advancement of Asian Americans in independent media, specifically the...
(formerly NAATA), and the Asian American Journalists Association
Asian American Journalists Association
The Asian American Journalists Association was founded in 1981 by several Asian American journalists who felt a need to support greater participation by Asian Americans in the news media.Its goals are:...
.
External links
- minamitamaki.com - official biography on law firm site