The U.S. Supreme Court case California et al. v. Cabazon Band of Mission Indians et al., 1986, revolved around the issue of whether or not state authorities could regulate and control gaming operations on Indian reservations in California. The Cabazon and Morongo Bands were operating bingo games and card clubs on their respective reservations, which led to a dispute with Riverside County officials who wanted to apply local ordinances to these activities. The tribes argued that they had sovereign rights over their lands under federal law, while the county contended it was merely enforcing its gambling regulations as it would anywhere else within its jurisdiction. In a 6-3 decision, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the tribes stating that when tribal gaming activities are conducted on Indian lands within a state which does not explicitly prohibit such gaming activities, then those tribal governments have exclusive authority for regulation without interference from state laws unless Congress enacts legislation allowing it.

In the dissenting opinion for California et al. v. Cabazon Band of Mission Indians et al., Justice White, joined by Chief Justice Burger and Justice Powell, argued that the majority's decision to allow tribes unrestricted rights to conduct gambling operations on their reservations was a misinterpretation of both federal law and policy regarding tribal sovereignty. They contended that while Congress had indeed intended for tribes to have some degree of self-governance, it did not intend for them to operate completely outside state laws when those activities impacted non-tribal members or interests within the state. The dissenters believed that states should be able to regulate certain activities on Indian lands in order to protect public health and safety as well as other important state interests.