Bailess v. Paukune
344 U.S. 171 · Decided December 8, 1952 · 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
Bailess v. Paukune was decided on December 8, 1952 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice William O. Douglas wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Indians, state jurisdiction” in the Civil Rights area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 344 U.S. 171 · 73 S. Ct. 198 · 97 L. Ed. 2d 197 · 1952 U.S. LEXIS 1455
- Docket number
- 242
- Decided
- December 8, 1952
- Argued
- November 1, 1952
- Court era
- Vinson Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- William O. Douglas
- Opinion assigned by
- Fred M. Vinson
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Indians, state jurisdiction
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- 24 Stat. 388
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Majority | |
| Justice Stanley F. Reed | Majority | |
| Justice Felix Frankfurter | Majority | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Robert H. Jackson | Majority | |
| Justice Harold H. Burton | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Fred M. Vinson | Majority | |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | |
| Justice Sherman Minton | Majority |
Full case caption
Bailess, County Treasurer, et al. v. Paukune
SCDB identifiers: case 1952-020, docket 1952-020-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Indians, state jurisdiction”
- Williams et Ux. v. Lee
- Seymour v. Superintendent of Washington State Penitentiary
- Metlakatla Indian Community v. Egan
- Warren Trading Post Co. v. Arizona Tax Commission
- Puyallup Tribe v. Department of Game of Washington
- Menominee Tribe of Indians v. United States
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Mandoli v. Acheson
- Orloff v. Willoughby
- Ramspeck v. Federal Trial Examiners Conference
- Heikkila v. Barber
- Ford Motor Co. v. Huffman
- Terry v. Adams
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