Idaho v. Coeur d'Alene Tribe of Idaho, 521 U.S. 261 (1997), was an important U.S. Supreme Court precedent for aboriginal title in the United States

Aboriginal title in the United States

The United States was the first jurisdiction to acknowledge the common law doctrine of aboriginal title...

 and sovereign immunity in the United States

Sovereign immunity in the United States

Sovereign immunity in the United States is the legal privilege by which the American federal, state, and tribal governments cannot be sued. Local governments in most jurisdictions enjoy immunity from some forms of suit, particularly in tort...

. The Court held that the Coeur d'Alene Tribe

Coeur d'Alene Tribe

The Coeur d'Alene are a Native American people who lived in villages along the Coeur d'Alene, St. Joe, Clark Fork and Spokane Rivers; as well as sites on the shores of Lake Coeur d'Alene, Lake Pend Oreille and Hayden Lake, in what is now northern Idaho, eastern Washington and western Montana.In...

 could not maintain an action against the state of Idaho

Idaho

Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....

 to press its claim to Lake Coeur d'Alene

Lake Coeur d'Alene

Lake Coeur d'Alene is a natural lake in the Idaho Panhandle, located in the vicinity of the city of the same name. It spans long, ranges from 1 to wide and has over of shoreline for boaters and vacationers to explore and enjoy.-Geology and geography:...

 due to the state's Eleventh Amendment

Eleventh Amendment to the United States Constitution

The Eleventh Amendment to the United States Constitution, which was passed by the Congress on March 4, 1794, and was ratified on February 7, 1795, deals with each state's sovereign immunity. This amendment was adopted in order to overrule the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Chisholm v...

 immunity from suit, notwithstanding the exception recognized in Ex parte Young

Ex parte Young

Ex parte Young, , is a United States Supreme Court case that allows suits in federal courts against officials acting on behalf of states of the union to proceed despite the State's Sovereign immunity, when the State acted unconstitutionally.-Facts:...

.

After the district court's decision dismissing the suit, the federal government—in its guardian capacity—brought a substantially similar suit against Idaho; in 2001, in another 5-4 decision, the Court ruled for the federal government: Idaho v. United States

Idaho v. United States

Idaho v. United States, 533 U.S. 262 , was an important U.S. Supreme Court precedent regarding aboriginal title in the United States and the equal footing doctrine. The suit was a companion case to Idaho v. Coeur d'Alene Tribe of Idaho , where the court held that the Coeur d'Alene Tribe's suit...

(2001).