Minnesota, et al. v. Mille Lacs Band of Chippewa Indians et al.

Decided March 24, 1999. Sandra Day O'Connor delivered the opinion of the Court.

Docket 97-1337 · 526 U.S. 172 (1999) · Cited 244 times

Holding

The Chippewa retain the usufructuary rights guaranteed to them by the 1837 Treaty.

The Court’s statement of the holding, from the opinion’s syllabus. The syllabus is prepared by the Reporter of Decisions and is not part of the opinion of the Court — read the official opinion for authority.

How the Justices voted

Decided 5–4.

“Concurring” means agreeing with the outcome; any split shown is the Court’s judgment, not each Justice’s reasoning. Source: the Supreme Court Database (Spaeth et al.), Washington University.

Precedents cited

Supreme Court decisions this opinion relies on, ordered by how often it cites each. Cases in our collection link through; others are named.

• Ward v. Race Horse · 163 U.S. 504 (1896)
• Washington v. Washington State Commercial Passenger Fishing Vessel Assn. · 443 U.S. 658 (1979)
• Tulee v. Washington · 315 U.S. 681 (1942)
• United States v. Winans · 198 U.S. 371 (1905)
• Puyallup Tribe v. Department of Game of Wash. · 391 U.S. 392 (1968)
• Winters v. United States · 207 U.S. 564 (1908)
• Youngstown Sheet & Tube Co. v. Sawyer · 343 U.S. 579 (1952)
• Dames & Moore v. Regan · 453 U.S. 654 (1981)
• County of Yakima v. Confederated Tribes & Bands of the Yakima Indian Nation · 502 U.S. 251 (1992)
• Antoine v. Washington · 420 U.S. 194 (1975)
• El Al Israel Airlines, Ltd. v. Tsui Yuan Tseng · 525 U.S. 155 (1999)
• Choctaw Nation v. United States · 318 U.S. 423 (1943)
• United States v. Dion · 476 U.S. 734 (1986)
• Mescalero Apache Tribe v. Jones · 411 U.S. 145 (1973)
• Champlin Rfg. Co. v. Corporation Commission of Oklahoma · 286 U.S. 210 (1932)
• Regan v. Time, Inc. · 468 U.S. 641 (1984)
• Alaska Airlines, Inc. v. Brock · 480 U.S. 678 (1987)
• New Mexico v. Mescalero Apache Tribe · 462 U.S. 324 (1983)
• Kleppe v. New Mexico · 426 U.S. 529 (1976)
• United States v. Belmont · 301 U.S. 324 (1937)
• Menominee Tribe of Indians v. United States · 391 U.S. 404 (1968)
• Choctaw Nation v. Oklahoma · 397 U.S. 620 (1970)
• United States v. Forty-Three Gallons of Whiskey · 93 U.S. 188 (1876)

Cited by

Later Supreme Court opinions in our collection that cite this case.

• Herrera v. Wyoming · 587 U.S. 329 (2019)
• Washington State Dept. of Licensing v. Cougar Den, Inc. · 586 U.S. 347 (2019)
• California v. Texas · 593 U.S. 659 (2021)
• Arizona v. Navajo Nation · 599 U.S. 555 (2023)
• National Federation of Independent Business v. Sebelius · 567 U.S. 519 (2012)
• United States v. Booker · 543 U.S. 220 (2005)
• Ayotte v. Planned Parenthood of Northern New Eng. · 546 U.S. 320 (2006)
• Chickasaw Nation v. United States · 534 U.S. 84 (2001)
• Legal Services Corp. v. Velazquez · 531 U.S. 533 (2001)
• Randall v. Sorrell · 548 U.S. 230 (2006)
• Inyo County, California v. Paiute-Shoshone Indians of the Bishop Community of the Bishop Colony · 538 U.S. 701 (2003)

Official text

Read the official opinion (U.S. Reports, govinfo.gov)

Explore from here

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Source: Supreme Court of the United States, slip opinions (1999). Citation count from the Free Law Project’s CourtListener bulk data. Data last verified 2026-07-03. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).