Read the following excerpt from Stephen C. Gordon's Oral Argument to the U.S. Supreme Court, Clifton Terell McNell vs. United States.

"Mr. Chief Justice, and may it please the Court: When this Court construes a statute, the words of the statute matter, the purpose of the statute matters, and the results produced by that construction matter."

Use context clues or a dictionary to select the best definition for Mr. Gordon's use of "statute."

A. position of an individual in relation to another
B. request
C. permanent rule
D. three-dimensional work of art