Atkinson Trading Company, Inc. v. Joe Shirley, Jr.
532 U.S. 645 · Decided May 29, 2001 · Supreme Court of the United States
Record summary. This page is generated from the Supreme Court Database’s coded data about the case. It describes who decided what, not the Court’s reasoning. Read the opinion itself before relying on it. Not legal advice.
At a glance
Atkinson Trading Company, Inc. v. Joe Shirley, Jr. was decided on May 29, 2001 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Indians (general)” in the Civil Rights area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 532 U.S. 645 · 121 S. Ct. 1825 · 149 L. Ed. 2d 889 · 2001 U.S. LEXIS 4116
- Docket number
- 00-454
- Decided
- May 29, 2001
- Argued
- March 27, 2001
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- William H. Rehnquist
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Indians (general)
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- 25 U.S.C. § 261
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Concurrence | |
| Justice David H. Souter | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Concurrence | |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Majority | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Majority |
Full case caption
Atkinson Trading Company, Inc. v. Joe Shirley, Jr., et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 2000-056, docket 2000-056-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Indians (general)”
- Chickasaw Nation v. United States
- State of Arizona v. State of California
- State of Arizona v. State of California
- United States v. White Mountain Apache Tribe
- United States v. Navajo Nation
- Inyo County v. Paiute-Shoshone Indians of the Bishop Community of the Bishop Colony
Cases on the same legal provision: 25 U.S.C. § 261
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- State of Arizona v. State of California
- George W. Bush and Richard Cheney v. Albert Gore, Jr.
- Rebecca McDowell Cook v. Donald J. Gralike and Mike HarmanLaw held unconstitutional
- Michael F. Easley v. Martin Cromartie
- Clark County School District v. Shirley A. Breeden
- C & L Enterprises, Inc. v. Citizen Band Potawatomi Indian Tribe of Oklahoma
Source: Supreme Court Database, 2026 Release 01 (data file dated September 8, 2026). Imported into CaseTrail November 5, 2026. Coverage: decisions from the 1946 through 2025 Terms. Methodology · Report an error