How often does the Supreme Court overturn its own decisions?
Fewer than 1% of Supreme Court cases have overturned an older decision. More than half of these cases concerned economic activity or criminal procedure.
Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
Read our research on:
Supreme Court
How Biden compares with other recent presidents in appointing federal judges
As Biden’s term draws to a close, here’s a look at the federal judges the 46th president appointed during his four years in the White House.
Most Americans favor maximum age limits for federal elected officials, Supreme Court justices
79% of Americans favor maximum age limits for elected officials in Washington, D.C. And 74% support such limits for Supreme Court justices.
Sign up for our politics newsletter
Our latest politics data every month
All
Supreme Court
Publications
-
5 facts about same-sex marriage
The share of Americans who favor same sex marriage has grown in recent years, though there are still demographic and partisan divides.
-
Where the public stands on key issues that could come before the Supreme Court
Ahead of the Senate’s deliberations over Kavanaugh, here’s a look at where the public stands on some of the major legal, political and social issues that could come before the Supreme Court in the years ahead.
-
With another Supreme Court pick, Trump is leaving his mark on higher federal courts
Trump has successfully appointed more federal appeals court judges so far in his presidency than his two predecessors combined had at the same point in theirs. And with his nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, Trump soon could install his second justice on the nation’s highest court, too.
-
Growing share of Americans say Supreme Court should base its rulings on what Constitution means today
A majority of Americans now say the Supreme Court should base its rulings on what the Constitution means today, representing a shift in public opinion.
-
Federal judicial picks have become more contentious, and Trump’s are no exception
Trump’s federal judicial picks have faced a record amount of opposition, reflecting growing discord over presidential appointments to the judiciary.
-
Supreme Court same-sex wedding cake case reflects split among American public
Americans are divided over whether businesses that provide wedding services should be required to cater to same-sex couples even if their owners have religious objections to homosexuality.
-
What backgrounds do U.S. Supreme Court justices have?
When President Donald Trump nominated federal appeals court judge Neil Gorsuch to fill the Supreme Court seat left vacant by the death last year of Justice Antonin Scalia, he chose a candidate whose professional background is very much in line with previous and current justices.
-
Younger Supreme Court appointees stay on the bench longer, but there are plenty of exceptions
Justices who were younger than 45 when they took the oath of office served an average of 21.6 years on the court; those who were ages 45 to 49 served an average of 19.4 years.
-
Support for death penalty lowest in more than four decades
The share of Americans who support the death penalty for persons convicted of murder is now at its lowest point in more than four decades.
-
Garland Nomination to Supreme Court Gets Positive Reception From Public
Although Merrick Garland’s nomination to the Supreme Court faces an uncertain fate in the Senate, more Americans say they favor (46%) than oppose (30%) Garland’s confirmation to the high court. About a quarter (24%) offer no opinion.
