Home > Great American Court Cases > Cherokee Nation v. Georgia

Legal Citation: 30 U.S. 1 (1831)

Plaintiff
Cherokee Indian Nation

Defendant
State of Georgia

Plaintiff's Claim
That under the Supreme Court's power to resolve disputes between states and foreign nations, the Court could forbid Georgia from unlawfully attempting to move the Cherokees from their lands.

Chief Lawyer for Plaintiff
William Wirt

Chief Defense Lawyer
None

Justices for the Court
Henry Baldwin, William Johnson, John Marshall (writing for the Court), John McLean

Justices Dissenting
Smith Thompson, Joseph Story (Gabriel Duvall did not participate)

Place
Washington, D.C.

Date of Decision
5 March 1831

Decision
That the Court had no power to hear the dispute, because Indian tribes are not foreign nations.

Significance
By refusing to...