California v. United States
490 U.S. 920 · Decided June 12, 1989 · 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
California v. United States was decided on June 12, 1989 by a vote of 4–4. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. The Justices were equally divided, which leaves the lower court's judgment in place without setting precedent. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Indians (general)” in the Civil Rights area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 490 U.S. 920 · 109 S. Ct. 2273 · 104 L. Ed. 2d 981 · 1989 U.S. LEXIS 2898
- Docket number
- 87-1165
- Decided
- June 12, 1989
- Argued
- November 28, 1988
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Equally divided vote
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 4–4
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Indians (general)
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Equally divided vote | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Equally divided vote | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Equally divided vote | |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Equally divided vote | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Equally divided vote | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Equally divided vote | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Equally divided vote | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Equally divided vote |
Did not participate: Thurgood Marshall.
Full case caption
California et al. v. United States et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1988-110, docket 1988-110-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Indians (general)”
- Duro v. Reina
- United States v. Dion
- United States v. Mottaz
- Mountain States Telephone & Telegraph Co. v. Pueblo of Santa Ana
- Kerr-McGee Corp. v. Navajo Tribe of Indians
- United States v. Dann
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Town of Huntington v. Huntington Branch
- Penson v. Ohio
- Pittston Coal Group v. Sebben
- Owens v. Okure
- City of Richmond v. J. A. Croson CompanyLaw held unconstitutional
- In re McDonald
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