Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma and Shoshone-Paiute Tribes of the Duck Valley Reservation v. Michael O. Leavitt
543 U.S. 631 · Decided March 1, 2005 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma and Shoshone-Paiute Tribes of the Duck Valley Reservation v. Michael O. Leavitt was decided on March 1, 2005 unanimously (8–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Stephen G. Breyer 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
- 543 U.S. 631 · 125 S. Ct. 1172 · 161 L. Ed. 2d 66 · 2005 U.S. LEXIS 2199
- Docket number
- 02-1472
- Decided
- March 1, 2005
- Argued
- November 9, 2004
- 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
- 8–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- Stephen G. Breyer
- Opinion assigned by
- John Paul Stevens
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Indians, state jurisdiction
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- 25 U.S.C. § 450
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | |
| Justice David H. Souter | Majority | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Majority | |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Majority | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
Did not participate: William H. Rehnquist.
Full case caption
Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma and Shoshone-Paiute Tribes of the Duck Valley Reservation v. Michael O. Leavitt, Secretary of Health and Human Services, et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 2004-025, docket 2004-025-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Indians, state jurisdiction”
- City of Sherrill v. Oneida Indian Nation of New York
- Joan Wagnon v. Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation
- Nevada v. Floyd Hicks
- Idaho v. United States
- C & L Enterprises, Inc. v. Citizen Band Potawatomi Indian Tribe of Oklahoma
- Donald L. Carcieri v. Ken L. Salazar
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Josue Leocal v. John D. Ashcroft
- Keyse G. Jama v. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
- A. Neil Clark v. Sergio Suarez Martinez
- Garrison S. Johnson v. California
- City of Rancho Palos Verdes v. Mark J. Abrams
- Roderick Jackson v. Birmingham Board of Education
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