Cotton Petroleum Corp. v. New Mexico
490 U.S. 163 · Decided April 25, 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
Cotton Petroleum Corp. v. New Mexico was decided on April 25, 1989 by a vote of 6–3. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice John Paul Stevens 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
- 490 U.S. 163 · 109 S. Ct. 1698 · 104 L. Ed. 2d 209 · 1989 U.S. LEXIS 2133
- Docket number
- 87-1327
- Decided
- April 25, 1989
- Argued
- November 30, 1988
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- John Paul Stevens
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Indians, state jurisdiction
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- 25 U.S.C. § 396
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Dissent | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority |
Full case caption
Cotton Petroleum Corp. et al. v. New Mexico et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1988-076, docket 1988-076-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Indians, state jurisdiction”
- Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians v. Holyfield
- Philip Brendale v. Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakima Indian Nation
- Oklahoma Tax Commission v. Citizen Band Potawatomi Indian Tribe of Oklahoma
- California v. Cabazon Band of Mission Indians
- County of Yakima v. Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakima Indian Nation
- Three Affiliated Tribes of the Fort Berthold Reservation v. Wold Engineering, P. C.
Cases on the same legal provision: 25 U.S.C. § 396
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