In the case of Wilson et al. v. Omaha Indian Tribe et al., 1978, the U.S Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Omaha Indian Tribe regarding a land dispute on their reservation in Nebraska. The controversy arose due to changes in boundary lines following an act by Congress in 1882 that diminished tribal lands but did not clearly define new boundaries. Non-Indian settlers argued they were no longer within reservation limits and therefore should not be subject to tribal jurisdiction or taxes imposed by the tribe's governing body. However, using historical context and legislative intent as guides for interpretation, the court held that unless Congress explicitly states otherwise, original reservation boundaries remain intact even after surplus lands are opened up for non-Indian settlement. Therefore, these areas continue to be "Indian country" under federal law and subject to tribal authority.

In the dissenting opinion for Wilson et al. v. Omaha Indian Tribe et al., Justice William Rehnquist, joined by Chief Justice Warren Burger and Justice Harry Blackmun, argued that the majority's decision was inconsistent with previous rulings of the Court regarding Native American land rights. They contended that Congress did not intend to include disputed lands within reservation boundaries when it passed legislation in 1882 authorizing sale of these lands to non-Indians. The dissenters also disagreed with the majority's interpretation of ambiguous historical evidence about whether or not this area remained part of Omaha tribal territory after its sale to white settlers. They believed there was no clear proof showing congressional intent to maintain reservation status for sold-off parts, hence they should be considered outside reservation limits under established legal principles governing statutory interpretation and property law.