In one of the most dramatic moments of the Senate confirmation hearing for Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson, Sen. Marsha Blackburn asked the judge, “Can you provide a definition for the word ‘woman’?”
After a brief hesitation, Jackson responded, “I’m not a biologist.”
Now on its face, that is a silly remark because you don’t need a biologist to define what a woman is. (The percentage of babies born with indeterminate sex, in which a medical evaluation is necessary, is less than 1%). But upon consideration, it was actually a clever response because it was basically the only answer available to Jackson that would avoid enraging either the Republican senators or her progressive allies. It was a prudent nonanswer.
