United States v. Dann
470 U.S. 39 · Decided February 20, 1985 · 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. Dann was decided on February 20, 1985 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice William J. Brennan Jr. wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Indians (general)” in the Civil Rights area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 470 U.S. 39 · 105 S. Ct. 1058 · 84 L. Ed. 2d 28 · 1985 U.S. LEXIS 50
- Docket number
- 83-1476
- Decided
- February 20, 1985
- Argued
- November 5, 1984
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- William J. Brennan Jr.
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Indians (general)
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- 25 U.S.C. § 22
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| 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
United States v. Dann et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1984-031, docket 1984-031-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Indians (general)”
- Kerr-McGee Corp. v. Navajo Tribe of Indians
- Mountain States Telephone & Telegraph Co. v. Pueblo of Santa Ana
- Escondido Mutual Water Co. v. La Jolla Band of Mission Indians
- United States v. Dion
- United States v. Mottaz
- Merrion v. Jicarilla Apache Tribe
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Trans World Airlines, Inc. v. Thurston
- Alexander v. Choate
- Brandon v. Holt
- Ake v. Oklahoma
- National Association for the Advancement of Colored People v. Hampton County Election Commission
- Heckler v. Turner
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