Kawakita vs. United States

Source: "Kawakita v. United States"
http://supreme.justia.com/us/343/717/

Constitutional Connection:
Article 3, Section 3
"Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying war against them, or in adhering to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort. No person shall be convicted of treason unless on the testimony of two witnesses to the same overt act, or on confession in open court. The Congress shall have power to declare the punishment of treason, but no attainder of treason shall work corruption of blood, or forfeiture except during the life of the person attainted."


Analysis of Connection:
     This is a Supreme Court case of treason against the United States. The case is Kawaita vs. United States. Tomoyo Kawakita was an native born American citizen, he took a trip to Japan and from there things went downhill. Kawakita went to visit Japan on an American passport and due to the war was unable to return to the states. During that time he changed his registration from American to Japanese and began to show hostility toward the United States. 

     Kawakita worked as a civilian employee making war material for Japan and torturing American prisoners of war. After the war ended Kawakita registered as an American citizen and swore that he had not done various acts amounting to expatriation. But he was later convicted of dual nationality and accused of treason.
     The US takes treason very seriously, in this article they go into detail about the evidence they have against Kawakita. He was sentenced to the death penalty by the Supreme Court but President Clinton later pardoned  him on October 24, 1963 under the condition of perpetual exile to Japan.