Minnesota v. Mille Lacs Band of Chippewa Indians
526 U.S. 172 · Decided March 24, 1999 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Minnesota v. Mille Lacs Band of Chippewa Indians was decided on March 24, 1999 by a vote of 5–4. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Sandra Day O'Connor wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Indians (general)” in the Civil Rights area. SCDB codes this decision as formally altering one or more of the Court's own precedents.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 526 U.S. 172 · 119 S. Ct. 1187 · 143 L. Ed. 2d 270 · 1999 U.S. LEXIS 2190
- Docket number
- 97-1337
- Decided
- March 24, 1999
- Argued
- December 2, 1998
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- Sandra Day O'Connor
- Opinion assigned by
- John Paul Stevens
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Indians (general)
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- 7 Stat. 536
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- Altered precedent
- Yes — formally altered the Court's precedent
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Dissent | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Dissent | |
| Justice David H. Souter | Majority | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Majority | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Majority |
Full case caption
Minnesota, et al. v. Mille Lacs Band of Chippewa Indians et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1998-038, docket 1998-038-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Indians (general)”
- El Paso Natural Gas Company v. Laura Neztsosie
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- National Collegiate Athletic Association v. R. M. Smith
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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