Foreword
The principle of stare decisis holds that previous court decisions should stand as guides for future courts when related cases are decided. In effect, it means that the U.S. Supreme Court considers the legal reasoning and outcome of past decisions, and is reluctant to make rulings contradictory to them. Only in rare cases does the Court reverse itself and directly overturn a previous decision.On June 26, 2003, the final day the Court was scheduled to issue opinions for cases argued during the 2002-2003 term, Justice Anthony Kennedy read the majority opinion in John Geddes Lawrence and Tyron Garner v. Texas…
