Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma v. Leavitt, 543 U.S. 631 (2005), was a United States Supreme Court case in which the Court held that a contract with the Federal Government to reimburse the tribe for health care costs was binding, despite the failure of Congress to appropriate funds for those costs.

Pursuant to the ISDEAA, both the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma and the Shoshone and Paiute tribes of the Duck Valley Indian Reservation (in Idaho and Nevada) entered into contracts with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to provide health care for tribal members.

The District Court found against the tribe, stating that HHS could not pay (through the Department of the Interior, which managed the funds) if Congress had not appropriated enough money.

[1] Justice Antonin Scalia concurred in the opinion with the exception of the majority's reliance on a Senate committee report to determine the intent of Congress.

[1] This case has played a major role in promoting tribal self-determination, while holding the Federal government accountable for paying contracts that it made with the various tribes.