United States v. Navajo Nation
537 U.S. 488 · Decided March 4, 2003 · 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. Navajo Nation was decided on March 4, 2003 by a vote of 6–3. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg 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
- 537 U.S. 488 · 123 S. Ct. 1079 · 155 L. Ed. 2d 60 · 2003 U.S. LEXIS 1946
- Docket number
- 01-1375
- Decided
- March 4, 2003
- Argued
- December 2, 2002
- 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
- Ruth Bader Ginsburg
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Indians (general)
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- 25 U.S.C. § 396
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Dissent | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Dissent | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | |
| Justice David H. Souter | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Majority | |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Majority |
Full case caption
United States v. Navajo Nation
SCDB identifiers: case 2002-025, docket 2002-025-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Indians (general)”
- United States v. White Mountain Apache Tribe
- Inyo County v. Paiute-Shoshone Indians of the Bishop Community of the Bishop Colony
- United States v. Billy Jo Lara
- Chickasaw Nation v. United States
- Atkinson Trading Company, Inc. v. Joe Shirley, Jr.
- State of Arizona v. State of California
Cases on the same legal provision: 25 U.S.C. § 396
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Immigration and Naturalization Service v. Fredy Orlando Ventura
- Jo Anne B. Barnhart v. Peabody Coal Company
- David Meyer v. Emma Mary Ellen Holley
- Washington State Department of Social and Health Services v. Guardianship Estate of Danny Keffeler
- United States v. White Mountain Apache Tribe
- City of Cuyahoga Falls v. Buckeye Community Hope Foundation
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