Judge Hanford and the Legal Battle for Exclusion
A federal judge asserts authority over state court interference in the deportation of Chinese individuals arriving in Tacoma.
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Judge Hanford today decided that the writ of habeas corpus issued by Judge Pritchard, of the state superior court, upon which three Chinamen were removed from the steamer Victoria, was not valid. He did not hear the case on its merits on the process issuing from the state court and he ordered the three Chinese placed in the custody of the United States marshal to be deported to China on the vessel which brought them here. In referring to Judge Pritchard's writ, Judge Hanford stated that it had undoubtedly served the purpose for which it had been issued. Judge Hanford felt called upon to deny the jurisdiction of the state court in the matter, and he made it clear that the state court had no jurisdiction whatever.
“Judge Hanford felt called upon to deny the jurisdiction of the state court in the matter.”
This reflects the volatile era of the Chinese Exclusion Acts in Washington, where legal battles were frequently used as a tool to block the state from interfering with federal deportation mandates. The assertion of federal jurisdiction over the lives and movement of Chinese residents marks a dark chapter in the state's judicial history.
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