diff --git a/pkg/codeowners/reader.go b/pkg/codeowners/reader.go
index b533bce..2e94319 100644
--- a/pkg/codeowners/reader.go
+++ b/pkg/codeowners/reader.go
@@ -134,13 +134,13 @@ func Read(path string, reviewerGroupManager ReviewerGroupManager, fileReader Fil
 	}
 
 	slices.Reverse(rules.OwnerTests)
-	sort.Sort(rules.OwnerTests)
+	sort.Stable(rules.OwnerTests)
 
 	slices.Reverse(rules.AdditionalReviewerTests)
-	sort.Sort(rules.AdditionalReviewerTests)
+	sort.Stable(rules.AdditionalReviewerTests)
 
 	slices.Reverse(rules.OptionalReviewerTests)
-	sort.Sort(rules.OptionalReviewerTests)
+	sort.Stable(rules.OptionalReviewerTests)
 
 	return rules
 }
diff --git a/pkg/codeowners/reader_test.go b/pkg/codeowners/reader_test.go
index 5989965..9f6ed4e 100644
--- a/pkg/codeowners/reader_test.go
+++ b/pkg/codeowners/reader_test.go
@@ -1,10 +1,25 @@
 package codeowners
 
 import (
+	"fmt"
 	"io"
+	"strings"
 	"testing"
 )
 
+// inMemoryReader is an in-memory FileReader that serves a single .codeowners file.
+type inMemoryReader struct {
+	content []byte
+}
+
+func (r *inMemoryReader) ReadFile(string) ([]byte, error) {
+	return r.content, nil
+}
+
+func (r *inMemoryReader) PathExists(string) bool {
+	return true
+}
+
 func TestRead(t *testing.T) {
 	tt := []struct {
 		name         string
@@ -78,3 +93,44 @@ func TestRead(t *testing.T) {
 		})
 	}
 }
+
+// TestReadLastMatchWinsSamePriority verifies that within a single priority tier,
+// the last-declared rule wins, per the documented "last declared wins" semantics.
+// Since ownerTestRecursive returns the first match, same-tier rules must appear in
+// reverse declaration order (last-declared first). In a large file the sort must be
+// stable to preserve that order for equal-priority patterns — an unstable sort
+// scrambles them.
+func TestReadLastMatchWinsSamePriority(t *testing.T) {
+	rgMan := NewReviewerGroupMemo()
+
+	const globstarRules = 200
+
+	var b strings.Builder
+	// Many globstar rules (service0/**, service1/**, ...) interleaved with rules from
+	// the other two priority tiers. The mix forces the sort to move elements, which
+	// surfaces reordering of the equal-priority globstar rules under an unstable sort.
+	for i := 0; i < globstarRules; i++ {
+		fmt.Fprintf(&b, "service%d/** @team%d\n", i, i)
+		fmt.Fprintf(&b, "file%d.go @file%d\n", i, i) // no-wildcard tier
+		fmt.Fprintf(&b, "lib%d/*.go @lib%d\n", i, i) // wildcard tier
+	}
+
+	reader := &inMemoryReader{content: []byte(b.String())}
+	rules := Read("any/dir", rgMan, reader, io.Discard)
+
+	// Extract the globstar rules in result order. They must be in reverse declaration
+	// order (highest index first): for any two same-tier rules, the later-declared one
+	// must precede the earlier one so that first-match-wins picks the last declaration.
+	prev := globstarRules
+	for _, test := range rules.OwnerTests {
+		var idx int
+		if n, _ := fmt.Sscanf(test.Match, "service%d/**", &idx); n != 1 {
+			continue
+		}
+		if idx >= prev {
+			t.Errorf("globstar rules out of last-declared-wins order: service%d/** appears after service%d/** (expected strictly decreasing)", idx, prev)
+			break
+		}
+		prev = idx
+	}
+}