California v. Cabazon Band of Mission Indians

480 U.S. 202 · Decided February 25, 1987 · Supreme Court of the United States

At a glance

California v. Cabazon Band of Mission Indians was decided on February 25, 1987 by a vote of 6–3. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Byron R. White wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Indians, state jurisdiction” in the Civil Rights area.

Read the opinion

• CourtListener (Free Law Project) — opinion text
• Library of Congress — official U.S. Reports scan

Case details

How the Justices voted

Full case caption

California et al. v. Cabazon Band of Mission Indians et al.

SCDB identifiers: case 1986-041, docket 1986-041-01.

Related decisions

Other cases on “Indians, state jurisdiction”

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  474 U.S. 9Decided November 4, 19855–4Per curiam
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  473 U.S. 753Decided July 2, 19856–2John Paul Stevens
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Cases on the same legal provision: Federal crime control and firearms statutes

• Rodriguez v. United States
  480 U.S. 522Decided March 23, 19878–1Per curiam
• Ball v. United States
  470 U.S. 856Decided March 26, 19858–0Warren E. Burger
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  495 U.S. 257Decided April 30, 19906–3Byron R. White
• Dickerson v. New Banner Institute, Inc.
  460 U.S. 103Decided February 23, 19835–4Harry A. Blackmun
• Busic v. United States
  446 U.S. 398Decided May 19, 19806–3William J. Brennan Jr.
• Lewis v. United States
  445 U.S. 55Decided February 27, 19806–3Harry A. Blackmun

Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)

• Ansonia Board of Education v. Philbrook
  479 U.S. 60Decided November 17, 19868–1William H. Rehnquist
• Immigration and Naturalization Service v. Hector
  479 U.S. 85Decided November 17, 19867–2Per curiam
• Munro v. Socialist Workers Party
  479 U.S. 189Decided December 10, 19867–2Byron R. White
• Tashjian v. Republican Party of ConnecticutLaw held unconstitutional
  479 U.S. 208Decided December 10, 19865–4Thurgood Marshall
• California Federal Savings & Loan Assn. v. Guerra
  479 U.S. 272Decided January 13, 19876–3Thurgood Marshall
• City of Pleasant Grove v. United States
  479 U.S. 462Decided January 21, 19876–3Byron R. White

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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