Washington v. Confederated Bands and Tribes of the Yakima Indian Nation
439 U.S. 463 · Decided January 16, 1979 · 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
Washington v. Confederated Bands and Tribes of the Yakima Indian Nation was decided on January 16, 1979 by a vote of 7–2. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice Potter Stewart 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
- 439 U.S. 463 · 99 S. Ct. 740 · 58 L. Ed. 2d 740 · 1979 U.S. LEXIS 55
- Docket number
- 77-388
- Decided
- January 16, 1979
- Argued
- October 2, 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
- 7–2
- Majority opinion
- Potter Stewart
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Indians, state jurisdiction
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- 67 Stat. 588
- 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. | Dissent | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | 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 |
Full case caption
Washington et al. v. Confederated Bands and Tribes of the Yakima Indian Nation
SCDB identifiers: case 1978-030, docket 1978-030-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Indians, state jurisdiction”
- Wilson v. Omaha Indian Tribe
- Washington v. Washington State Commercial Passenger Fishing Vessel Association
- United States v. John
- United States v. Clarke
- Washington v. Confederated Tribes of the Colville Indian Reservation
- White Mountain Apache Tribe v. Bracker
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Board of Trustees of Keene State College v. Sweeney
- Dougherty County v. White
- Holt Civic Club v. City of Tuscaloosa
- Califano v. Aznavorian
- Lalli v. Lalli
- Duren v. MissouriAltered precedentLaw held unconstitutional
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