Final answer:
A Supreme Court decision can be overturned by a Congressional statute, a Constitutional amendment, or a subsequent Supreme Court ruling. These methods reflect the checks and balances within the U.S. system of government, where legislative, executive, and judicial branches have powers that can respond to or override each other's actions.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question describes how a Supreme Court decision can be overturned. There are several ways this can be done:
- Congressional statute: Congress can pass a new law to address the issues raised by the court's decision, effectively nullifying the ruling if it garners sufficient support to overcome any potential veto.
- Constitutional amendment: An amendment to the Constitution can be proposed, which requires the approval of two-thirds of both houses of Congress and ratification by three-fourths of the state legislatures. This is a direct way to override a Supreme Court decision if it interprets the Constitution in a way that a significant majority disagrees with.
- Subsequent Supreme Court ruling: A later Supreme Court can overturn a previous decision if a similar case is brought before it, and the justices decide to change the interpretation of the law or Constitution from the earlier case.
In addition to these methods, the following are checks that the legislative branch has over the courts:
- Senate approval is needed for the appointment of justices and federal judges.
- Congress may rewrite a law the courts have declared unconstitutional.
- Congress may withhold funding needed to implement court decisions.
- The Supreme Court may overrule any act of Congress they don't like but generally defers to the decisions of the elected branches of government.
Thus, the option D. None of the above is incorrect as there are indeed several ways that a Supreme Court decision can be overturned as described above.