1823
Johnson v. McIntosh Decision on Indigenous Land Title
In Johnson v. McIntosh, the Supreme Court ruled that Native tribes held only 'occupancy rights' to land, not full title, and that the U.S. government acquired ultimate ownership through discovery and conquest. The decision established the 'doctrine of discovery' as federal common …
Washington, D.C., DC
Indigenous
Land & treaties
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In Johnson v. McIntosh, the Supreme Court ruled that Native tribes held only 'occupancy rights' to land, not full title, and that the U.S. government acquired ultimate ownership through discovery and conquest. The decision established the 'doctrine of discovery' as federal common law, denying Indigenous nations sovereignty over their ancestral territories. It remains a foundational precedent in federal Indian law that continues to affect land claims and tribal rights.