| United States v. Antelope | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Argued January 18, 1977 Decided April 19, 1977 | |
| Full case name | United States v. Antelope, et al. |
| Docket no. | 75-661 |
| Citations | 430 U.S. 641 (more) 97 S. Ct. 1395; 51 L. Ed. 2d 701 |
| Argument | Oral argument |
| Opinion announcement | Opinion announcement |
| Case history | |
| Prior | 523 F.2d 400 (9th Cir. 1975) |
| Holding | |
| The convicted Indians were not deprived of the equal protection of the laws; (a) the federal criminal statutes are not based on impermissible racial classifications but on political membership in an Indian tribe or nation; and (b) the challenged statutes do not violate equal protection. Indians or non-Indians can be charged with first-degree murder committed in a federal enclave. | |
| Court membership | |
| |
| Case opinion | |
| Majority | Burger, joined by unanimous |
| Laws applied | |
| U.S. Const. amend. V, 18 U.S.C. § 1111, 18 U.S.C. § 1153 | |
United States v. Antelope, 430 U.S. 641 (1977), was a United States Supreme Court case in which the Court held that American Indians convicted on reservation land were not deprived of the equal protection of the laws; (a) the federal criminal statutes are not based on impermissible racial classifications but on political membership in an Indian tribe or nation; and (b) the challenged statutes do not violate equal protection. Indians or non-Indians can be charged with first-degree murder committed in a federal enclave.