202
Opinion of the Court
Eleventh Amendment immunity that it may have had. The issue here is whether we should reexamine this longstanding statutory construction. Because of the strong considerations favoring adherence to stare decisis in these circumstances, the answer to that question must be no. Time and time again, this Court has recognized that "the doctrine of stare decisis is of fundamental importance to the rule of law." Welch, supra, at 494; see also Patterson v. McLean Credit Union, 491 U. S. 164, 172 (1989); Burnet v. Coronado Oil & Gas Co., 285 U. S. 393, 406 (1932) (Brandeis, J., dissenting). Adherence to precedent promotes stability, predictability, and respect for judicial authority. Vasquez v. Hillery, 474 U. S. 254, 265-266 (1986). For all of these reasons, we will not depart from the doctrine of stare decisis without some compelling justification. Arizona v. Rumsey, 467 U. S. 203, 212 (1984).
In the case before us the policies in favor of following stare decisis far outweigh those suggesting departure. "Considerations of stare decisis have special force in the area of statutory interpretation, for here, unlike in the context of constitutional interpretation, the legislative power is implicated, and Congress remains free to alter what we have done." Patterson, supra, at 172-173. Congress has had almost 30 years in which it could have corrected our decision in Parden if it disagreed with it, and has not chosen to do so. We should accord weight to this continued acceptance of our earlier holding. Stare decisis has added force when the legislature, in the public sphere, and citizens, in the private realm, have acted in reliance on a previous decision, for in this instance overruling the decision would dislodge settled rights and expectations or require an extensive legislative response. This is so in the case before us.
Workers' compensation laws in many States specifically exclude railroad workers from their coverage because of the assumption that FELA provides adequate protection for those workers. See, e. g., Colo. Rev. Stat. § 8-41-201 (Supp.
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