United States v. Clarke
445 U.S. 253 · Decided March 18, 1980 · 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
United States v. Clarke was decided on March 18, 1980 by a vote of 7–2. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice William H. Rehnquist 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
- 445 U.S. 253 · 100 S. Ct. 1127 · 63 L. Ed. 2d 373 · 1980 U.S. LEXIS 89
- Docket number
- 78-1693
- Decided
- March 18, 1980
- Argued
- January 15, 1980
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 7–2
- Majority opinion
- William H. Rehnquist
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Indians, state jurisdiction
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- 25 U.S.C. § 357
- 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 Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Dissent | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority |
Full case caption
United States v. Clarke et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1979-054, docket 1979-054-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Indians, state jurisdiction”
- Washington v. Confederated Tribes of the Colville Indian Reservation
- White Mountain Apache Tribe v. Bracker
- Central Machinery Co. v. Arizona State Tax Commission
- Washington v. Washington State Commercial Passenger Fishing Vessel Association
- Wilson v. Omaha Indian Tribe
- Montana v. United States
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Board of Education of the City School District of New York v. Harris
- Vance v. Terrazas
- Martinez v. California
- California Brewers Assn. v. Bryant
- United States v. Clark
- Owen v. City of Independence
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