The Seufert Brothers Company v. United States case in 1918 involved a dispute over fishing rights on the Columbia River between the Yakima Indian Nation and the Seufert Brothers Company, a commercial fishery. The Yakima Indians claimed exclusive fishing rights based on an 1855 treaty with the U.S government which guaranteed them "the right of taking fish at all usual and accustomed places." However, Seufert Brothers argued that they had been granted permission to operate their fishery by Oregon state law. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Yakima Indians, upholding their exclusive fishing rights as outlined in the treaty. This decision reinforced tribal sovereignty and established precedent for future cases involving Native American treaty rights.

The dissenting opinion in the case of Seufert Brothers Company v. United States, as Trustee and Guardian of the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakima Indians and Nations, argued that there was no legal basis for denying Seufert Brothers Company their fishing rights. The dissenters believed that while it is important to protect Native American tribes' access to resources, this should not come at an unfair cost to other citizens who have legally acquired rights over time. They contended that both parties had a right to fish in these waters under existing laws and treaties; therefore, any decision made should respect these established rights rather than arbitrarily favor one party over another. Furthermore, they expressed concerns about setting a precedent where federal trusteeship could be used as grounds for overriding previously recognized private property or usage rights without clear justification or compensation.