Wilson v. Omaha Indian Tribe
442 U.S. 653 · Decided June 20, 1979 · 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
Wilson v. Omaha Indian Tribe was decided on June 20, 1979 unanimously (8–0). The Court vacated the lower court's decision and remanded the case. 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
- 442 U.S. 653 · 99 S. Ct. 2529 · 61 L. Ed. 2d 153 · 1979 U.S. LEXIS 5
- Docket number
- 78-160
- Decided
- June 20, 1979
- Argued
- March 21, 1979
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Vacated and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 8–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- Byron R. White
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Indians, state jurisdiction
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- 25 U.S.C. § 194
- 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 | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Concurrence | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority |
Did not participate: Lewis F. Powell Jr..
Full case caption
Wilson et al. v. Omaha Indian Tribe et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1978-131, docket 1978-131-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Indians, state jurisdiction”
- Washington v. Washington State Commercial Passenger Fishing Vessel Association
- Washington v. Confederated Bands and Tribes of the Yakima Indian Nation
- United States v. Clarke
- Washington v. Confederated Tribes of the Colville Indian Reservation
- United States v. John
- White Mountain Apache Tribe v. Bracker
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Board of Trustees of Keene State College v. Sweeney
- Dougherty County v. White
- Holt Civic Club v. City of Tuscaloosa
- Califano v. Aznavorian
- Lalli v. Lalli
- Duren v. MissouriAltered precedentLaw held unconstitutional
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