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Merrion v. Jicarilla Apache Tribe

455 U.S. 130 · Decided January 25, 1982 · 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

Merrion v. Jicarilla Apache Tribe was decided on January 25, 1982 by a vote of 6–3. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Thurgood Marshall wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Indians (general)” in the Civil Rights area.

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Case details

Citations
455 U.S. 130 · 102 S. Ct. 894 · 71 L. Ed. 2d 21 · 1982 U.S. LEXIS 25
Docket number
80-11
Decided
January 25, 1982
Argued
March 30, 1981
Reargued
November 4, 1981
Court era
Burger 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
Thurgood Marshall
Opinion assigned by
William J. Brennan Jr.
How the case arrived
Certiorari
Issue (SCDB)
Indians (general)
Issue area
Civil Rights
Legal provision
Article I, Section 8, Paragraph 3 (interstate commerce clause)
Type of law
Constitution
Decision direction (SCDB)
Liberal what this means

How the Justices voted

Full case caption

Merrion et Al., Dba Merrion & Bayless, et al. v. Jicarilla Apache Tribe et al.

SCDB identifiers: case 1981-036, docket 1981-036-01.

Other cases on “Indians (general)”

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Cases on the same legal provision: Article I, Section 8, Paragraph 3 (interstate commerce clause)

Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)

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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