New Mexico v. Mescalero Apache Tribe
462 U.S. 324 · Decided June 13, 1983 · 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
New Mexico v. Mescalero Apache Tribe was decided on June 13, 1983 unanimously (9–0). The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Thurgood Marshall 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
- 462 U.S. 324 · 103 S. Ct. 2378 · 76 L. Ed. 2d 611 · 1983 U.S. LEXIS 57
- Docket number
- 82-331
- Decided
- June 13, 1983
- Argued
- April 19, 1983
- 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
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- Thurgood Marshall
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Indians, state jurisdiction
- 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 | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority |
Full case caption
New Mexico et al. v. Mescalero Apache Tribe
SCDB identifiers: case 1982-106, docket 1982-106-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Indians, state jurisdiction”
- Rice v. Rehner
- Arizona v. California
- Solem v. Bartlett
- Ramah Navajo School Board, Inc. v. Bureau of Revenue of New Mexico
- Three Affiliated Tribes of the Fort Berthold Reservation v. Wold Engineering, P. C.
- County of Oneida v. Oneida Indian Nation of New York State
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Immigration and Naturalization Service v. Miranda
- City of Port Arthur v. United States
- City of Lockhart v. United States
- Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Wyoming
- Briscoe v. Lahue
- Arizona v. California
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