Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians v. Holyfield
490 U.S. 30 · Decided April 3, 1989 · 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
Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians v. Holyfield was decided on April 3, 1989 by a vote of 6–3. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice William J. Brennan Jr. 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
- 490 U.S. 30 · 109 S. Ct. 1597 · 104 L. Ed. 2d 29 · 1989 U.S. LEXIS 1791
- Docket number
- 87-980
- Decided
- April 3, 1989
- Argued
- January 11, 1989
- 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
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- William J. Brennan Jr.
- Opinion assigned by
- William J. Brennan Jr.
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Indians, state jurisdiction
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- 25 U.S.C. § 1911
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Dissent | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Dissent |
Full case caption
Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians v. Holyfield et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1988-068, docket 1988-068-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Indians, state jurisdiction”
- Cotton Petroleum Corp. v. New Mexico
- Philip Brendale v. Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakima Indian Nation
- Oklahoma Tax Commission v. Citizen Band Potawatomi Indian Tribe of Oklahoma
- California v. Cabazon Band of Mission Indians
- County of Yakima v. Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakima Indian Nation
- Three Affiliated Tribes of the Fort Berthold Reservation v. Wold Engineering, P. C.
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Town of Huntington v. Huntington Branch
- Penson v. Ohio
- Pittston Coal Group v. Sebben
- Owens v. Okure
- City of Richmond v. J. A. Croson CompanyLaw held unconstitutional
- In re McDonald
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