People v. Hall (1854)

As early as 1852, Chinese community leaders in California mining regions, where a large number of Chinese immigrants had settled in the wake of the discovery of gold at Sutter's mill, had begun to send communication back to their countrymen in China urging them not to come to California because of the anti-Chinese hostility in the state.

This hostility quickly began to manifest itself in legislation. The Foreign Miners' License Tax was first enacted in 1850 and reenacted in May 1852.  The tax was selectively enforced against Chinese and Latino miners.  A "commutation tax" was also passed shortly thereafter; both taxes had the effect of burdening the Chinese miners who were already in the state and discouraging continued immigration. 

The decision in People v. Hall represents how the racist attitudes against Chinese immigrants in nineteenth-century America had taken root in the judiciary.  Consider how powerless a group becomes when they are unable to provide testimony in a civil or criminal matter.