Williams v. Lee

Lee (defendant), a non-Indian, ran a federally licensed general store on the Navajo Reservation in Arizona, where Williams (plaintiff) and his wife, Navajo Indians living on the reservation, bought goods on credit. When they did not pay, Lee sued them in Arizona state court; Williams moved to dismiss, arguing jurisdiction belonged to the tribal court, which by then operated a developed legal system. The state court denied the motion and ruled for Lee, and the Arizona Supreme Court affirmed. The United States Supreme Court granted certiorari.

Whether a state court has jurisdiction over a civil dispute arising on a Native American reservation between a non-Indian and reservation Indians.