Kerr-McGee Corp. v. Navajo Tribe of Indians
471 U.S. 195 · Decided April 16, 1985 · 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
Kerr-McGee Corp. v. Navajo Tribe of Indians was decided on April 16, 1985 unanimously (8–0). The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Chief Justice Warren E. Burger 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
- 471 U.S. 195 · 105 S. Ct. 1900 · 85 L. Ed. 2d 200 · 1985 U.S. LEXIS 2738
- Docket number
- 84-68
- Decided
- April 16, 1985
- Argued
- February 25, 1985
- 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
- 8–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- Warren E. Burger
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Indians (general)
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority |
Did not participate: Lewis F. Powell Jr..
Full case caption
Kerr-McGee Corp. v. Navajo Tribe of Indians et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1984-079, docket 1984-079-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Indians (general)”
- United States v. Dann
- Mountain States Telephone & Telegraph Co. v. Pueblo of Santa Ana
- Escondido Mutual Water Co. v. La Jolla Band of Mission Indians
- United States v. Dion
- United States v. Mottaz
- Merrion v. Jicarilla Apache Tribe
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Trans World Airlines, Inc. v. Thurston
- Alexander v. Choate
- Brandon v. Holt
- United States v. Dann
- Ake v. Oklahoma
- National Association for the Advancement of Colored People v. Hampton County Election Commission
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