If you would like to obtain a Chinese Exclusion Act case file located at the Seattle facility, contact the National Archives at Seattle. Send your reference request to
seattle.archives@nara.gov or call 206-336-5115.
If your ancestor’s file is at another National Archives facility, the Seattle staff will give you suggestions on where to find the file.
If you have questions or comments about a blog posting, contact me at THackettNicola@gmail.com
Thank you.
Trish Hackett Nicola
Chinese Exclusion Act Case Files 
My name is Rolf Parker, and I am a historian, based in Southern Vermont. A local newspaper, the Vermont Phoenix, states that John L. Martin, from this town, defended the constitutionality of the Chinese Exclusion laws in Newark District Court, in the 1901 case, “Chee Foo vs The United States.” I would attach a screenshot of that article, but cannot do so with this form. However you can read the article in the pages of the Phoenix on Chronicling America’s website.
The article was printed in the Vermont Phœnix
Friday, Jun 28, 1901
Brattleboro, VT
Vol: 68
Page:7
I can find no other record of this case. The Phoenix article states that Judge Fitzpatrick accepted all of Martin’s arguments, and ruled against Chee Foo, and that Foo was ordered back into custody and ordered to be deported. I have no idea if the case was appealed. A long search for the case file has me empty handed.
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Thank you Trish, Rhonda and all the volunteer researchers who did this remarkable work – on behalf of the Lee Luke/Down Cook family. – Prof. Allan Luke, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia (grandson of Lee Luke/Down Cook of Seattle, son of Edwin Luke/Ahlin Wong).
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I am so happy that you found the blog posting on Lee Luke. Thank you for letting us know. I will pass your message on to Rhonda and the volunteers. Because of Covid restrictions, the volunteers are still not able to go back to our volunteer jobs at NARA but we are hoping that will change soon. Trish
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