White Mountain Apache Tribe et al. v. Bracker et al.

Decided June 27, 1980. Thurgood Marshall delivered the opinion of the Court.

Docket 78-1177 · 448 U.S. 136 (1980) · Cited 778 times

Holding

The Arizona taxes are pre-empted by federal law.

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 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.

• Warren Trading Post Co. v. Arizona Tax Commission · 380 U.S. 685 (1965)
• Williams v. Lee · 358 U.S. 217 (1959)
• Mescalero Apache Tribe v. Jones · 411 U.S. 145 (1973)
• McClanahan v. Arizona State Tax Commission · 411 U.S. 164 (1973)
• Moe v. Confederated Salish & Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Reservation · 425 U.S. 463 (1976)
• Santa Clara Pueblo v. Martinez · 436 U.S. 49 (1978)
• United States v. Wheeler · 435 U.S. 313 (1978)
• United States v. Mazurie · 419 U.S. 544 (1975)
• Kennerly v. District Court of the Ninth Judicial District of Montana · 400 U.S. 423 (1971)
• United States v. Mitchell · 445 U.S. 535 (1980)
• United States v. Kagama · 118 U.S. 375 (1886)
• Washington v. Confederated Tribes of the Colville Indian Reservation · 447 U.S. 134 (1980)
• Washington v. Confederated Bands & Tribes of the Yakima Indian Nation · 439 U.S. 463 (1979)
• 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)
• Pennsylvania v. Nelson · 350 U.S. 497 (1956)
• United States v. City of Detroit · 355 U.S. 466 (1958)
• Thomas v. Gay · 169 U.S. 264 (1898)
• United States v. Shoshone Tribe of Indians · 304 U.S. 111 (1938)
• New York Ex Rel. Ray v. Martin · 326 U.S. 496 (1946)

Cited by

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

• Cotton Petroleum Corp. v. New Mexico · 490 U.S. 163 (1989)
• Oklahoma v. Castro-Huerta · 597 U.S. 629 (2022)
• New Mexico v. Mescalero Apache Tribe · 462 U.S. 324 (1983)
• Ramah Navajo School Bd., Inc. v. Bureau of Revenue of NM · 458 U.S. 832 (1982)
• Rice v. Rehner · 463 U.S. 713 (1983)
• BRENDALE v. CONFEDERATED TRIBES AND BANDS OF THE YAKIMA INDIAN NATION Et Al. · 492 U.S. 408 (1989)
• United States v. Mitchell · 463 U.S. 206 (1983)
• National Farmers Union Insurance v. Crow Tribe of Indians · 471 U.S. 845 (1985)
• Nevada v. Hicks · 533 U.S. 353 (2001)
• California v. Cabazon Band of Mission Indians · 480 U.S. 202 (1987)
• Three Affiliated Tribes of the Fort Berthold Reservation v. Wold Engineering, P. C. · 467 U.S. 138 (1984)
• Three Affiliated Tribes of the Fort Berthold Reservation v. Wold Engineering, P. C. · 476 U.S. 877 (1986)
• Davidson v. Cannon · 474 U.S. 344 (1986)
• United States v. White Mountain Apache Tribe · 537 U.S. 465 (2003)
• McKesson Corp. v. Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco, Fla. Dept. of Business Regulation · 496 U.S. 18 (1990)
• Iowa Mutual Insurance v. LaPlante · 480 U.S. 9 (1987)
• Merrion v. Jicarilla Apache Tribe · 455 U.S. 130 (1982)
• Kiowa Tribe of Oklahoma v. Manufacturing Technologies, Inc. · 523 U.S. 751 (1998)
• County of Yakima v. Confederated Tribes & Bands of the Yakima Indian Nation · 502 U.S. 251 (1992)
• Arizona v. San Carlos Apache Tribe of Ariz. · 463 U.S. 545 (1983)
• Oklahoma Tax Commission v. Chickasaw Nation · 515 U.S. 450 (1995)
• Oklahoma Tax Commission v. Sac & Fox Nation · 508 U.S. 114 (1993)
• Department of Taxation and Finance of NY v. Milhelm Attea & Bros. · 512 U.S. 61 (1994)
• Shell Oil Co. v. Iowa Department of Revenue · 488 U.S. 19 (1988)

Official text

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

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Source: Supreme Court of the United States, slip opinions (1980). 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).