Top 25 Most-Used and Most Cited Indian Law Supreme Court Cases

Matthew L.M. Fletcher

Everyone loves a ranking. Once again, using Westlaw’s database, and their “most-used” and “most-cited” categories, here are the top 25 cited/used U.S. Supreme Court decisions in Indian law:

Most-Cited

  1. (18,133) Colorado River Water Conservation District v. United States, 424 U.S. 800 (1976)
  2. (6517) Affiliated Ute Citizens v. United States, 406 U.S. 128 (1972)
  3. (6047) United States v. Mitchell, 445 U.S. 535 (1980)
  4. (5612) United States v. Mitchell, 463 U.S. 206 (1983)
  5. (5361) Morton v. Mancari, 417 U.S. 535 (1974)
  6. (4480) Arizona v. California, 460 U.S. 605 (1983)
  7. (4369) Santa Clara Pueblo v. Martinez, 436 U.S. 49 (1978)
  8. (4023) Worcester v. Georgia, 31 U.S. 515 (1831)
  9. (3768) Morton v. Ruiz, 415 U.S. 199 (1974)
  10. (3268) Montana v. United States, 450 U.S. 544 (1981)
  11. (3216) Cherokee Nation v. Georgia, 30 U.S. (1830)
  12. (3026) United States v. Wheeler, 435 U.S. 313 (1978)
  13. (2619) Lyng v. Northwest Indian Cemetery, 485 U.S. 439 (1988)
  14. (2557) McClanahan v. State Tax Commission of Arizona,411 U.S. 164 (1973)
  15. (2540) Williams v. Lee, 358 U.S. 217 (1959)
  16. (2443) United States v. Mazurie, 419 U.S. 544 (1975)
  17. (2322) California v. Cabazon Band, 480 U.S. 202 (1987)
  18. (2256) Keeble v. United States, 412 U.S. 205 (1973)
  19. (2251) Washington v. Colville Confederated Tribes, 447 U.S. 134 (1980)
  20. (2245) United States v. Kagama, 118 U.S. 375 (1886)
  21. (2243) Oklahoma Tax Commission v. Citizen Potawatomi, 498 U.S. 505 (1991)
  22. (2092) County of Oneida v. Oneida Indian Nation, 470 U.S. 226 (1985)
  23. (2029) Oneida Indian Nation v. Oneida County, 414 U.S. 661 (1974)
  24. (1994) Merrion v. Jicarilla Apache Tribe, 455 U.S. 130 (1982)
  25. (1972) Blatchford v. Native Village of Noatak, 501 U.S. 775 (1991)

Most-Used (whatever that means):

  1. Colorado River Water Conservation District v. United States, 424 U.S. 800 (1976)
  2. Affiliated Ute Citizens v. United States, 406 U.S. 128 (1972)
  3. Plains Commerce Bank v. Long Family Land and Cattle Co., 554 U.S. 316 (2008)
  4. Nevada v. Hicks, 533 U.S. 353 (2001)
  5. Arizona v. California, 460 U.S. 605 (1983)
  6. Carcieri v. Salazar, 555 U.S. 379 (2009)
  7. Santa Clara Pueblo v. Martinez, 436 U.S. 49 (1978)
  8. Montana v. United States, 450 U.S. 544 (1981)
  9. United States v. Mitchell, 463 U.S. 206 (1983)
  10. Oklahoma Tax Commission v. Citizen Potawatomi, 498 U.S. 505 (1991)
  11. City of Sherrill v. Oneida Indian Nation, 544 U.S. 197 (2005)
  12. Washington v. Colville Confederated Tribes, 447 U.S. 134 (1980)
  13. Morton v. Mancari, 417 U.S. 535 (1974)
  14. United States v. Lara, 541 U.S. 193 (2004)
  15. County of Oneida v. Oneida Indian Nation, 470 U.S. 226 (1985)
  16. United States v. Mitchell, 445 U.S. 535 (1980)
  17. California v. Cabazon Band, 480 U.S. 202 (1987)
  18. White Mountain Apache Tribe v. Bracker, 448 U.S. 136 (1980)
  19. United States v. Wheeler, 435 U.S. 313 (1978)
  20. Wagnon v. Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation, 546 U.S. 95 (2005)
  21. Lincoln v. Vigil, 508 U.S. 182 (1993)
  22. Iowa Mutual v. LaPlante, 480 U.S. 9 (1987)
  23. Merrion v. Jicarilla Apache Tribe, 455 U.S. 130 (1982)
  24. Williams v. Lee, 358 U.S. 217 (1959)
  25. Lyng v. Northwest Indian Cemetery, 485 U.S. 439 (1988)