Solem v. Bartlett
465 U.S. 463 · Decided February 22, 1984 · 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
Solem v. Bartlett was decided on February 22, 1984 unanimously (9–0). The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Thurgood Marshall 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
- 465 U.S. 463 · 104 S. Ct. 1161 · 79 L. Ed. 2d 443 · 1984 U.S. LEXIS 34
- Docket number
- 82-1253
- Decided
- February 22, 1984
- Argued
- December 7, 1983
- 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
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- Thurgood Marshall
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Indians, state jurisdiction
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- 35 Stat. 460
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority |
Full case caption
Solem, Warden, South Dakota State Penitentiary, et al. v. Bartlett
SCDB identifiers: case 1983-041, docket 1983-041-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Indians, state jurisdiction”
- Three Affiliated Tribes of the Fort Berthold Reservation v. Wold Engineering, P. C.
- Rice v. Rehner
- New Mexico v. Mescalero Apache Tribe
- Arizona v. California
- County of Oneida v. Oneida Indian Nation of New York State
- Montana v. Blackfeet Tribe of Indians
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Immigration and Naturalization Service v. Phinpathya
- Migra v. Warren City School District Board of Education
- United Building & Construction Trades Council of Camden County and Vicinity v. Mayor and Council of the City of Camden
- McCain v. Lybrand
- Consolidated Rail Corporation v. Darrone
- Grove City College v. Bell
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