What should have been a softball question for Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson, turned into a tense exchange between the judge and Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN). Blackburn’s question: “Can you provide a definition for the word ‘woman?’”
“I can’t — ” Jackson replied.
“You can’t?” Blackburn fired back.
“Not in this context. I’m not a biologist,” Jackson said.
“The meaning of the word woman is so unclear and controversial that you can’t give me a definition?” Blackburn asked.
“The fact that you can’t give me a straight answer about something as fundamental as what a woman is underscores the dangers of the kind of progressive education that we are hearing about,” Blackburn said, before pivoting to the issue of trans athletes in sports.
“I think it tells our girls that their voices don’t matter,” Blackburn responded. “I think it tells them that they’re second-class citizens. And parents want to have a Supreme Court justice who is committed to preserving parental autonomy and protecting our nation’s children.”
Blackburn shared her frustrations on Twitter:
“Judge Jackson cannot give a clear and simple definition of the word ‘woman.’
Judge Jackson cannot give a clear and simple definition of the word ‘woman.’
— Sen. Marsha Blackburn (@MarshaBlackburn) March 23, 2022
