A judicial ruling can both alter long-run behavior and ignite a durable political movement.

Evidence

In the years following, legal abortions in the United States rose to more than 1.3 million in 1992, before declining to just under 700,000 in 2012, the last year for which data are available (see Table 10.3). Roe also invigorated a continuing controversy about abortion. — G. Alan Tarr, Judicial Process and Judicial…, 3118

Categorization

• XREF: Feeds the course’s larger theme that court decisions reshape the political landscape rather than settling disputes.