United States v. Wheeler

Decided March 22, 1978. Potter Stewart delivered the opinion of the Court.

Docket 76-1629 · 435 U.S. 313 (1978) · Cited 1,076 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 8–0.

“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.

• Abbate v. United States · 359 U.S. 187 (1959)
• Bartkus v. Illinois · 359 U.S. 121 (1959)
• Talton v. Mayes · 163 U.S. 376 (1896)
• United States v. Lanza · 260 U.S. 377 (1922)
• United States v. Kagama · 118 U.S. 375 (1886)
• Waller v. Florida · 397 U.S. 387 (1970)
• City of Trenton v. New Jersey · 262 U.S. 182 (1923)
• United States v. Antelope · 430 U.S. 641 (1977)
• Williams v. Eggleston · 170 U.S. 304 (1898)
• Reynolds v. Sims · 377 U.S. 533 (1964)
• Brown v. Ohio · 432 U.S. 161 (1977)
• Screws v. United States · 325 U.S. 91 (1945)
• Keeble v. United States · 412 U.S. 205 (1973)
• United States v. Mazurie · 419 U.S. 544 (1975)
• Williams v. Lee · 358 U.S. 217 (1959)
• Oneida Indian Nation v. County of Oneida · 414 U.S. 661 (1974)
• McClanahan v. Arizona State Tax Commission · 411 U.S. 164 (1973)
• Mescalero Apache Tribe v. Jones · 411 U.S. 145 (1973)
• United States v. Winans · 198 U.S. 371 (1905)
• Puerto Rico v. Shell Co. (PR), Ltd. · 302 U.S. 253 (1937)
• Fisher v. District Court of the Sixteenth Judicial District of Montana · 424 U.S. 382 (1976)
• Houston v. Moore · 18 U.S. 1 (1820)
• Jones v. Meehan · 175 U.S. 1 (1899)
• United States v. McBratney · 104 U.S. 621 (1882)
• Warren Trading Post Co. v. Arizona Tax Commission · 380 U.S. 685 (1965)
• Dorr v. United States · 195 U.S. 138 (1904)
• The Kansas Indians · 72 U.S. 737 (1867)
• Matter of Heff · 197 U.S. 488 (1905)
• Turner v. United States · 248 U.S. 354 (1919)
• Cincinnati Soap Co. v. United States · 301 U.S. 308 (1937)

Cited by

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

• Duro v. Reina · 495 U.S. 676 (1990)
• Puerto Rico v. Sanchez Valle · 579 U.S. 59 (2016)
• BRENDALE v. CONFEDERATED TRIBES AND BANDS OF THE YAKIMA INDIAN NATION Et Al. · 492 U.S. 408 (1989)
• Heath v. Alabama · 474 U.S. 82 (1985)
• Denezpi v. United States · 596 U.S. 591 (2022)
• Washington v. Confederated Tribes of the Colville Indian Reservation · 447 U.S. 134 (1980)
• Michigan v. Bay Mills Indian Community · 572 U.S. 782 (2014)
• Merrion v. Jicarilla Apache Tribe · 455 U.S. 130 (1982)
• Montana v. United States · 450 U.S. 544 (1981)
• South Dakota v. Bourland · 508 U.S. 679 (1993)
• National Farmers Union Insurance v. Crow Tribe of Indians · 471 U.S. 845 (1985)
• Washington v. Confederated Bands & Tribes of the Yakima Indian Nation · 439 U.S. 463 (1979)
• Gamble v. United States · 587 U.S. 678 (2019)
• Haaland v. Brackeen · 599 U.S. 255 (2023)
• White Mountain Apache Tribe v. Bracker · 448 U.S. 136 (1980)
• Nevada v. Hicks · 533 U.S. 353 (2001)
• Plains Commerce Bank v. Long Family Land & Cattle Co. · 554 U.S. 316 (2008)
• United States v. Cooley · 593 U.S. 345 (2021)
• United States v. Dixon · 509 U.S. 688 (1993)
• Santa Clara Pueblo v. Martinez · 436 U.S. 49 (1978)
• Crist v. Bretz · 437 U.S. 28 (1978)
• Iowa Mutual Insurance v. LaPlante · 480 U.S. 9 (1987)
• New Mexico v. Mescalero Apache Tribe · 462 U.S. 324 (1983)
• United States v. Jicarilla Apache Nation · 564 U.S. 162 (2011)
• Rice v. Rehner · 463 U.S. 713 (1983)
• United States v. John · 437 U.S. 634 (1978)
• Rice v. Cayetano · 528 U.S. 495 (2000)
• Ramah Navajo School Bd., Inc. v. Bureau of Revenue of NM · 458 U.S. 832 (1982)
• Escondido Mutual Water Co. v. La Jolla Band of Mission Indians · 466 U.S. 765 (1984)
• Atkinson Trading Co. v. Shirley · 532 U.S. 645 (2001)

Official text

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

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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).