United States v. Sioux Nation of Indians
448 U.S. 371 · Decided June 30, 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. Sioux Nation of Indians was decided on June 30, 1980 by a vote of 8–1. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Harry A. Blackmun 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
- 448 U.S. 371 · 100 S. Ct. 2716 · 65 L. Ed. 2d 844 · 1980 U.S. LEXIS 147
- Docket number
- 79-639
- Decided
- June 30, 1980
- Argued
- March 24, 1980
- 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
- 8–1
- Majority opinion
- Harry A. Blackmun
- 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. § 70
- 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 | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority |
Full case caption
United States v. Sioux Nation of Indians et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1979-150, docket 1979-150-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Indians (general)”
- Andrus v. Glover Construction Co.
- Merrion v. Jicarilla Apache Tribe
- Santa Clara Pueblo v. Martinez
- United States v. Antelope
- Rosebud Sioux Tribe v. Kneip
- Delaware Tribal Business Committee v. Weeks
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
- United States v. Clarke
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