Edgar Blatchford v. Native Village of Noatak and Circle Village
501 U.S. 775 · Decided June 24, 1991 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Edgar Blatchford v. Native Village of Noatak and Circle Village was decided on June 24, 1991 by a vote of 6–3. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Antonin Scalia wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Governmental liability” in the Economic Activity area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 501 U.S. 775 · 111 S. Ct. 2578 · 115 L. Ed. 2d 686 · 1991 U.S. LEXIS 3637
- Docket number
- 89-1782
- Decided
- June 24, 1991
- Argued
- February 19, 1991
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- Antonin Scalia
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Governmental liability
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- Eleventh Amendment
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Dissent | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | |
| Justice David H. Souter | Majority |
Full case caption
Edgar Blatchford, Commissioner, Department of Community and Regional Affairs of Alaska v. Native Village of Noatak and Circle Village
SCDB identifiers: case 1990-123, docket 1990-123-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Governmental liability”
- Frederick A. Siegert v. H. Melvin Gilley
- United States v. Gaubert
- United States v. Marcus S. Smith
- Kenneth Hilton v. South Carolina Public Railways Commission
- Hunter v. Bryant
- Shirley M. Molzof v. United States
Cases on the same legal provision: Eleventh Amendment
- McKesson Corporation v. Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco
- Seminole Tribe of Florida v. FloridaAltered precedentLaw held unconstitutional
- Papasan v. Allain
- Green v. Mansour
- Atascadero State Hospital v. Scanlon
- Idaho v. Coeur D'Alene Tribe of Idaho, Etc.
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Mercedel W. Miles v. Apex Marine Corporation
- Jay Palmer v. BRG of Georgia, Inc.
- Arcadia v. Ohio Power Company
- Coy R. Grogan v. Frank J. Garner, Jr.
- McDermott International, Inc. v. Jon C. Wilander
- Trinova Corporation v. Michigan Department of Treasury
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