Oliphant v. Suquamish Indian Tribe
435 U.S. 191 · Decided March 6, 1978 · 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
Oliphant v. Suquamish Indian Tribe was decided on March 6, 1978 by a vote of 6–2. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice William H. Rehnquist wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Military, veterans” in the Civil Rights area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 435 U.S. 191 · 98 S. Ct. 1011 · 55 L. Ed. 2d 209 · 1978 U.S. LEXIS 66
- Docket number
- 76-5729
- Decided
- March 6, 1978
- Argued
- January 9, 1978
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–2
- Majority opinion
- William H. Rehnquist
- Opinion assigned by
- Potter Stewart
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Military, veterans
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Dissent | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority |
Did not participate: William J. Brennan Jr..
Full case caption
Oliphant v. Suquamish Indian Tribe et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1977-048, docket 1977-048-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Military, veterans”
- Alabama Power Co. v. Davis
- Coffy v. Republic Steel Corp.
- Foster v. Dravo Corp.
- Monroe v. Standard Oil Co.
- Johnson v. Robison
- Hernandez v. Veterans' Administration
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Califano v. Jobst
- Idaho Department of Employment v. Smith
- Nashville Gas Co. v. Satty
- Richmond Unified School District v. Berg
- United Air Lines, Inc. v. McMann
- Quilloin v. Walcott et Vir
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