Montana et al. v. United States et al.

Decided March 24, 1981. Potter Stewart delivered the opinion of the Court.

Docket 79-1128 · 450 U.S. 544 (1981) · Cited 1,034 times

We don’t yet publish a summary of this opinion — read the official text below for the Court’s holding and reasoning.

How the Justices voted

Decided 6–3.

“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.

• Choctaw Nation v. Oklahoma · 397 U.S. 620 (1970)
• United States v. Holt State Bank · 270 U.S. 49 (1926)
• Shively v. Bowlby · 152 U.S. 1 (1894)
• United States v. Wheeler · 435 U.S. 313 (1978)
• Oliphant v. Suquamish Indian Tribe · 435 U.S. 191 (1978)
• Puyallup Tribe, Inc. v. Department of Game of Washington · 433 U.S. 165 (1977)
• Washington v. Washington State Commercial Passenger Fishing Vessel Assn. · 443 U.S. 658 (1979)
• Williams v. Lee · 358 U.S. 217 (1959)
• United States v. Oregon · 295 U.S. 1 (1935)
• Packer v. Bird · 137 U.S. 661 (1891)
• Brewer-Elliott Oil & Gas Co. v. United States · 260 U.S. 77 (1922)
• United States v. Sioux Nation of Indians · 448 U.S. 371 (1980)
• Jones v. Meehan · 175 U.S. 1 (1899)
• McClanahan v. Arizona State Tax Commission · 411 U.S. 164 (1973)
• United States v. Kagama · 118 U.S. 375 (1886)
• Washington v. Confederated Tribes of the Colville Indian Reservation · 447 U.S. 134 (1980)
• Mescalero Apache Tribe v. Jones · 411 U.S. 145 (1973)
• Donnelly v. United States · 228 U.S. 243 (1913)
• Arizona v. California · 373 U.S. 546 (1963)
• Fisher v. District Court of the Sixteenth Judicial District of Montana · 424 U.S. 382 (1976)
• Organized Village of Kake v. Egan · 369 U.S. 60 (1962)
• Railroad Co. v. Schurmeir · 74 U.S. 272 (1869)
• Rosebud Sioux Tribe v. Kneip · 430 U.S. 584 (1977)
• Thomas v. Gay · 169 U.S. 264 (1898)
• Draper v. United States · 164 U.S. 240 (1896)
• Northwestern Bands of Shoshone Indians v. United States · 324 U.S. 335 (1945)

Cited by

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

• Nevada v. Hicks · 533 U.S. 353 (2001)
• BRENDALE v. CONFEDERATED TRIBES AND BANDS OF THE YAKIMA INDIAN NATION Et Al. · 492 U.S. 408 (1989)
• Atkinson Trading Co. v. Shirley · 532 U.S. 645 (2001)
• Plains Commerce Bank v. Long Family Land & Cattle Co. · 554 U.S. 316 (2008)
• South Dakota v. Bourland · 508 U.S. 679 (1993)
• New Mexico v. Mescalero Apache Tribe · 462 U.S. 324 (1983)
• Strate v. A-1 Contractors · 520 U.S. 438 (1997)
• Herrera v. Wyoming · 587 U.S. 329 (2019)
• United States v. Cooley · 593 U.S. 345 (2021)
• Duro v. Reina · 495 U.S. 676 (1990)
• Michigan v. Bay Mills Indian Community · 572 U.S. 782 (2014)
• Merrion v. Jicarilla Apache Tribe · 455 U.S. 130 (1982)
• County of Yakima v. Confederated Tribes & Bands of the Yakima Indian Nation · 502 U.S. 251 (1992)
• South Dakota v. Yankton Sioux Tribe · 522 U.S. 329 (1998)
• Block v. North Dakota Ex Rel. Board of University & School Lands · 461 U.S. 273 (1983)
• National Farmers Union Insurance v. Crow Tribe of Indians · 471 U.S. 845 (1985)
• Iowa Mutual Insurance v. LaPlante · 480 U.S. 9 (1987)
• Solem v. Bartlett · 465 U.S. 463 (1984)
• Phillips Petroleum Co. v. Mississippi · 484 U.S. 469 (1988)

Official text

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Source: the U.S. Reports via govinfo.gov; authoring Justice and vote lineup from the Supreme Court Database (Washington University). 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).