United States v. John
437 U.S. 634 · Decided June 23, 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
United States v. John was decided on June 23, 1978 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Harry A. Blackmun 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
- 437 U.S. 634 · 98 S. Ct. 2541 · 57 L. Ed. 2d 489 · 1978 U.S. LEXIS 124
- Docket number
- 77-836
- Decided
- June 23, 1978
- Argued
- April 19, 1978
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- Harry A. Blackmun
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Indians, state jurisdiction
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- 18 U.S.C. § 1151
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority |
Full case caption
United States v. John et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1977-135, docket 1977-135-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Indians, state jurisdiction”
- Washington v. Confederated Bands and Tribes of the Yakima Indian Nation
- Wilson v. Omaha Indian Tribe
- Puyallup Tribe, Inc. v. Department of Game of Washington
- Washington v. Washington State Commercial Passenger Fishing Vessel Association
- United States v. Clarke
- Washington v. Confederated Tribes of the Colville Indian Reservation
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