Washington v. Confederated Tribes of the Colville Indian Reservation
447 U.S. 134 · Decided June 10, 1980 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Washington v. Confederated Tribes of the Colville Indian Reservation was decided on June 10, 1980 by a vote of 6–3. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision in part and reversed or vacated it in part. Justice Byron R. White 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
- 447 U.S. 134 · 100 S. Ct. 2069 · 65 L. Ed. 2d 10 · 1980 U.S. LEXIS 16
- Docket number
- 78-630
- Decided
- June 10, 1980
- Argued
- October 9, 1979
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed and reversed (or vacated) in part
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- Byron R. White
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Indians, state jurisdiction
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- 28 U.S.C. § 2281
- 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. | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority |
Full case caption
Washington et al. v. Confederated Tribes of the Colville Indian Reservation et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1979-110, docket 1979-110-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Indians, state jurisdiction”
- White Mountain Apache Tribe v. Bracker
- Central Machinery Co. v. Arizona State Tax Commission
- United States v. Clarke
- Montana v. United States
- Washington v. Washington State Commercial Passenger Fishing Vessel Association
- Wilson v. Omaha Indian Tribe
Cases on the same legal provision: 28 U.S.C. § 2281
- Morales v. Turman
- Costello v. Wainwright
- Board of Regents of the University of Texas System v. New Left Education Project
- Department of Employment v. United States
- Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers v. Chicago
- Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission v. Pennsylvania Railroad Co.
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