United States v. Navajo Nation
556 U.S. 287 · Decided April 6, 2009 · 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 April 6, 2009 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Antonin Scalia 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
- 556 U.S. 287 · 129 S. Ct. 1547 · 173 L. Ed. 2d 429 · 2009 U.S. LEXIS 2550
- Docket number
- 07-1410
- Decided
- April 6, 2009
- Argued
- February 23, 2009
- Court era
- Roberts 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
- Antonin Scalia
- Opinion assigned by
- John G. Roberts Jr.
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Indians (general)
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- 28-1505
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Concurrence | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | |
| Justice David H. Souter | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Majority | |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Majority | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Majority | |
| Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. | Majority |
Full case caption
United States v. Navajo Nation
SCDB identifiers: case 2008-042, docket 2008-042-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Indians (general)”
- Plains Commerce Bank v. Long Family Land & Cattle Co.
- Madison County
- United States v. Tohono O'Odham Nation
- United States v. Jicarilla Apache Nation
- Salazar v. Ramah Navajo Chapter
- Adoptive Couple v. Baby Girl
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Jennifer Brunner v. Ohio Republican Party
- Cordell Pearson v. Afton CallahanAltered precedent
- Lisa Fitzgerald v. Barnstable School Committee
- Vicky S. Crawford v. Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County
- John Van de Kamp v. Thomas Lee Goldstein
- Donald L. Carcieri v. Ken L. Salazar
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