Worcester v. Georgia

Georgia (plaintiff) required white individuals living on Cherokee Nation land to obtain a state permit and swear an oath of allegiance to Georgia. Worcester (defendant), living on Cherokee land, refused to comply and was convicted and sentenced to four years of hard labor; Georgia offered to pardon him if he'd simply leave Cherokee territory, but he refused and appealed to the Supreme Court, arguing Georgia had no authority to regulate individuals within the sovereign Cherokee Nation.

Whether, in the United States, states have the right to impose laws on Indian nations.