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  • Essay / The Impact of Justice Horace Gray and the American V. Wong Kim Ark Case on Me

    In this short essay, I will explain why former Justice Horace Gray is of particular interest to me. I will begin by giving a brief biography of his judicial career for contextual purposes. Next, I will explain why his opinion on the landmark case United States v. Wong Kim Ark had a great importance in my personal life. I will do this by explaining the context behind the case of United States v. Wong Kim Ark and what Judge Gray's opinion was on these issues. Now I will begin with a brief overview of the judicial career of former Justice Horace Gray. Say no to plagiarism. Get a custom essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essay Justice Gray began his judicial career on the Massachusetts Supreme Court. First, in 1854, as a court reporter, then he became the youngest associate justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Court in 1864. As older members retired, Justice Gray distinguished himself as an excellent writer and legal thinker and became chief justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Court. in 1873. As chief justice, he only ever dissented once and none of his decisions were overturned, a testament to his judicial prudence. In 1881, Justice Gray was appointed to the United States Supreme Court by Republican President Chester A. Arthur. Justice Gray served on the Supreme Court for twenty-one years and has distinguished himself in history for his knowledge and application of the precedents set for him. During his tenure as an associate justice, he decided many landmark and influential cases such as Pollock v. Farmers Loan and Trust Company, finding the nation's first income tax law unconstitutional, Juilliard v. Greenman, believing that the US government had the power. power to issue paper money against its own credit in time of peace as well as in time of war, and in many other cases. However, one case on which Justice Gray wrote the majority opinion has had great significance in my life, a landmark case in the United States. against Wong Kim Ark. I will now explain the importance that Judge Gray's opinion in United States v. Wong Kim Ark had on me. Let me provide a brief background to the landmark case, United States v. Wong Kim Ark. In 1882, the United States Congress passed the Chinese Exclusion Act, which prohibited the immigration of workers and people of Chinese nationality. This was a period when, despite their efforts and contributions to the transcontinental railroad and other labor-intensive jobs, Chinese immigrants were more often the targets of xenophobic behavior. Well, in 1873, Wong Kim Ark was born to two people of Chinese descent, Wong Si Ping and his mother Wee Lee, legally domiciled and permanent residents of the United States living in San Francisco. It is important to note that due to the Naturalization Act of 1790, Wong Kim Ark's parents were not eligible for U.S. citizenship since the law stipulated that only "free white persons" could become naturalized citizens of the United States. Moving on, Wong Kim Ark's parents. returned to China but Wong Kim Ark decided to stay in California and visit his parents when he could. In fact, Wong Kim Ark visited his parents in China twice, once in 1890 and once in 1894. Wong Kim Ark's first trip seemed relatively successful since he was able to visit them and return to the UNITED STATES. However, on his second trip, Wong Kim Ark was denied return to the United States based on the Chinese Exclusion Act..