In 1958 Harry Bridges and Noriko (Nikki) Sawada flew to Reno, Nevada to get married. But Nevada had laws forbidding whites from marrying Asians, and Nikki, born in Glendale, California, was of Japanese ancestry. Despite Harry's plea that Noriko "isn't really Japanese-she was born in America," the judge refused to marry them. They sued the state of Nevada, and three days later they were wed.