Commentaries by Kayla Mozier | U. District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law

The Forgotten Pledge of Liberty and Justice for All: Law Students in America’s Immigration Courts

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The Forgotten Pledge of Liberty and Justice for All: Law Students in America’s Immigration Courts

Kayla Mozier | U. District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law

August 10, 2026 04:43:57 pm

Many Americans learned how to recite the Pledge of Allegiance even before we learned how to read it. Recited hand over heart, it ends with a promise: liberty and justice for all. What most Americans don’t know is that for millions of people living within our borders, that promise is being tested every day in [...]

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US apologizes to Japanese-Americans for detention during WWII

US President Ronald Reagan signed the Civil Liberties Act of 1988 into law on August 10, 1988, apologizing on behalf of the United States to Japanese-Americans who were interned in camps during WWII and providing $20,000 in compensation for each survivor. The law also provided $12,000 in compensation for each living displaced Aleutian Islander who was relocated to a camp in Alaska during the US's Aleutian Islands campaign.

President Reagan authorized compensation for Japanese-Americans interned during World War II

On August 10, 1988, US President Ronald Reagan signed a bill that provided payments of $20,000 to Japanese-Americans who were sent to internment camps by the US government during World War II. Learn more about the Civil Liberties Act of 1988, which also included a formal apology by Congress for what it called a "grave injustice."

National Security Act Amendment reorganizes U.S. military

On August 10, 1949, the National Security Act Amendment was signed into law. It replaced the Department of War with the Department of Defense (DoD) and pulled all military service branches directly under the supervision of the DoD. Learn more about the National Security Act from the U.S. State Department.