Decoteau v. District County Court for the Tenth Judicial District
420 U.S. 425 · Decided March 3, 1975 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Decoteau v. District County Court for the Tenth Judicial District was decided on March 3, 1975 by a vote of 6–3. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Potter Stewart 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
- 420 U.S. 425 · 95 S. Ct. 1082 · 43 L. Ed. 2d 300 · 1975 U.S. LEXIS 41
- Docket number
- 73-1148
- Decided
- March 3, 1975
- Argued
- December 16, 1974
- 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
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- Potter Stewart
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Indians, state jurisdiction
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- 26 Stat. 1035
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William O. Douglas | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Dissent | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| 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 | Majority |
Full case caption
Decoteau, Natural Mother and Next Friend of Feather et al. v. District County Court for the Tenth Judicial District
SCDB identifiers: case 1974-058, docket 1974-058-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Indians, state jurisdiction”
- Antoine et Ux. v. Washington
- Fisher v. District Court of the Sixteenth Judicial District of Montana
- Oneida Indian Nation of New York v. County of Oneida
- Moe v. Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Reservation
- Department of Game of Washington v. Puyallup Tribe
- Bryan v. Itasca CountyLaw held unconstitutional
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Saxbe v. Bustos
- Schick v. Reed
- Sosna v. Iowa
- Schlesinger v. Ballard
- Taylor v. LouisianaAltered precedentLaw held unconstitutional
- United States v. Mazurie
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