Ketanji Brown Jackson, Biden’s Supreme Court pick, refuses to define the word ‘woman’

President Biden’s Supreme Courtroom nominee, Ketanji Brown Jackson, refused to outline the phrase “lady” on the second day of her affirmation hearings earlier than the U.S. Senate’s Judiciary Committee.

Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., pressed Jackson on transgender points Tuesday evening.

“Do you agree that faculties ought to educate youngsters that they’ll select their gender?” Blackburn requested, after she learn a quote from Jackson relating to Georgetown Day College, the personal college on whose board Brown serves. 

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Jackson responded by noting that Georgetown Day College is personal. When Blackburn pressed once more, asking for the decide’s opinion, Jackson stated, “Senator, I am not making feedback about what faculties can educate.”

Blackburn then turned to cite the late Supreme Courtroom Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who wrote the bulk opinion in U.S. v. Virginia (1996), through which the Courtroom struck down Virginia Army Institute’s male-only admissions coverage.

“Supposed inherent variations are not accepted as a floor for race or nationwide origin classifications,” Blackburn stated, quoting Ginsburg. “Bodily variations, between women and men, nevertheless, are enduring. The 2 sexes will not be fungible. A group made up solely of 1 intercourse is completely different from a group composed of each.”

“Do you agree with Justice Ginsburg that there are bodily variations between women and men which might be enduring?” the senator requested.

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“Um, senator, respectfully I’m not aware of that exact quote or case, so it is exhausting for me to remark,” the decide responded.

Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., listens to senators opening statements throughout the affirmation listening to for Choose Ketanji Brown Jackson, President Bidens nominee for Affiliate Justice to the Supreme Courtroom, on Monday, March 21, 2022. 
(Invoice Clark/CQ-Roll Name, Inc by way of Getty Photos)

“Do you interpret Justice Ginsburg’s that means of women and men as female and male?” Blackburn pressed. Jackson didn’t touch upon the matter.

“Are you able to present a definition for the phrase ‘lady?’” the senator requested.

“Can I present a definition? No,” Jackson responded. “I can not.”

“You may’t?” Blackburn requested.

“Not on this context, I am not a biologist,” the decide replied.

“Do you consider the that means of the phrase lady is so unclear and controversial you could’t give me a definition?” Blackburn pressed.

“Senator, in my work as a decide, what I do is I tackle disputes. If there is a dispute a couple of definition, folks make arguments, and I take a look at the regulation, and I resolve,” Jackson stated.

Supreme Courtroom nominee Choose Ketanji Brown Jackson is sworn in for her affirmation listening to earlier than the Senate Judiciary Committee Monday, March 21, 2022, on Capitol Hill in Washington.
(AP Photograph/Jacquelyn Martin)

Blackburn argued that “the truth that you possibly can’t give me a straight reply about one thing as basic as what a girl is underscores the hazards of the type of progressive training that we’re listening to about.”

“Simply final week, a whole era of younger ladies watched as our taxpayer-funded establishments permitted a organic man to compete [against] and beat a organic lady within the NCAA ladies’s swimming championships,” the senator added, referring to the controversial case of transgender swimmer Lia Thomas.

“What message do you assume this sends to ladies?”

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“Senator, I am undecided what message that sends. If you happen to’re asking me in regards to the authorized points associated to it, these are matters which might be being hotly mentioned, as you say, and will come to the Courtroom, so I am not capable of” tackle them, the decide responded.

Dictionary.com defines “lady” as “an grownup feminine particular person,” and classifies the phrase as an “Elementary degree” phrase to outline.

The Republican Nationwide Committee shared a video of Jackson refusing to outline “lady.”

Abigail Shrier, writer of the ebook “Irreversible Harm: The Transgender Craze Seducing Our Daughters,” noted that Jackson is ” celebrated for being a pathbreaking lady…however she will be able to’t (received’t) inform you what a girl is. Not signal for somebody who needs to be able to find out the rights American ladies will get to maintain.”

Seth Dillon, CEO of the Christian satire website The Babylon Bee, known as Jackson’s reply “idiotic” for “two causes.”

“First, it is simply embarrassing to be unable to outline the phrase ‘lady’ if you find yourself one,” he tweeted. “Second, to say biologists should reply this query is to counsel that womanhood is tied to biology (which is what conservatives argue).”