How often does the Supreme Court overturn its own decisions?

Pew Research: “…What kinds of cases have been overturned most frequently? The Supreme Court has overturned precedents in a variety of legal areas. For example, the decision that overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022 broadly concerned civil rights. That’s according to the Supreme Court Database, which categorizes cases by issue area. Overall, 14% of Supreme Court rulings that overturned precedents concerned civil rights. That’s slightly higher than the share of all high court cases that concern civil rights (10%). More than a quarter of all decisions that overturned earlier rulings are related to economic activity (27%), similar to the share of all cases related to the same topic (29%). One prominent case in this category is Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo, a June 2024 ruling that overturned a 40-year precedent. It ended the practice of “Chevron deference,” which gave federal agencies the power to interpret laws they administer…”

Posted in: Civil Liberties, Courts, Government Documents, Legal Research