County of Yakima v. Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakima Indian Nation
502 U.S. 251 · Decided January 14, 1992 · 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
County of Yakima v. Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakima Indian Nation was decided on January 14, 1992 unanimously (9–0). The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Antonin Scalia 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
- 502 U.S. 251 · 112 S. Ct. 683 · 116 L. Ed. 2d 687 · 1992 U.S. LEXIS 371
- Docket number
- 90-408
- Decided
- January 14, 1992
- Argued
- November 5, 1991
- 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
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- Antonin Scalia
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Indians, state jurisdiction
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- 25 U.S.C. § 331
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | |
| Justice David H. Souter | Majority | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Majority |
Full case caption
County of Yakima, et al. v. Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakima Indian Nation
SCDB identifiers: case 1991-021, docket 1991-021-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Indians, state jurisdiction”
- Oklahoma Tax Commission v. Citizen Band Potawatomi Indian Tribe of Oklahoma
- Emery L. Negonsott v. Harold Samuels
- Oklahoma Tax Commission v. Sac and Fox Nation
- South Dakota v. Gregg Bourland, Etc.
- Robert Hagen v. Utah
- Department of Taxation and Finance of New York v. Milhelm Attea & Bros., Inc., Etc.
Cases on the same legal provision: 25 U.S.C. § 331
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Raymond Mireles v. Howard Waco
- Vladimir Zatko v. California
- Barbara Hafer v. James C. Melo, Jr.
- Immigration and Naturalization Service v. National Center for Immigrants' Rights, Inc.
- William 'sky' King v. St. Vincent's Hospital
- Barbara J. Norman v. Dorothy ReedLaw held unconstitutional
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