The court determined that when the Sioux were resettled onto reservations and seven million acres of their land were opened up to prospectors and homesteaders, the terms of the second Fort Laramie Treaty had been violated.
Pengadilan memutuskan bahwa, saat suku Sioux kembali menghuni tempat penampungan dan tujuh juta hektar tanah mereka dibuka untuk para pencari keuntungan dan transmigran, pasal dari Perjanjian Fort Laramie kedua telah dilanggar.