Judge Jackson: ‘I Can’t’ Define the Word ‘Woman’; Women’s Organization Calls on President to Withdraw Nomination

Day 2 of the Senate Judiciary Committee hearings regarding Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court highlighted how cultural absurdities over gender ideology have now infected the nation’s highest court.

Take, for instance, Judge Jackson’s interchange with Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., over the definition of “woman.”

Blackburn: “Can you provide the definition for the word ‘woman’?”

Jackson: “Can I provide a definition? No, I can’t.”

Blackburn: “You can’t?”

Jackson: “Not in this context. I’m not a biologist.”

Blackburn went on to tie the discussion they were having to the phenomenon of men competing in women’s sports such as swimming and the problems of today’s “progressive” education that treats women unfairly. She asked Jackson what message she thought that sends to girls who aspire to win in sports at the highest levels.

Jackson: “Senator, I’m not sure what message that sends. If you’re asking me about the legal issues related to it, those topics are being hotly discussed, as you say, and could come to the Court, so…”

The back-and-forth was bizarre. Basic biology and commonsense tell us what a “woman” is. But how else do you explain the tentacles with which “woke-ism” has infiltrated the culture when a woman with two Harvard degrees can’t even begin to offer a definition?

Until 2022, I’m not sure any Supreme Court nominee had ever been asked to define “woman.” And because transgenderism, which appeared about five minutes ago in our history, is asserting itself as an ideology that trumps basic biology, the question has suddenly become highly pertinent for a nominee to the nation’s highest court.

Like previously understood words such as “marriage” and “sex” – being male or female, the definition of “woman” ought to unassailable, but recent history with the first two words has created suspicion as to what the courts may do with the word “woman.” So, the question to Judge Jackson was pregnant with meaning, forgive the pun.

But her unwillingness to address even the basic biological differences between men and women told us volumes about how fragile the basic truth about males and females has become at the hands of judges.

One women’s organization is deeply concerned by what it’s hearing from Judge Jackson

Penny Nance, the president of Concerned Women for America Legislative Action Committee, expressed her disappointment at Judge Jackson’s testimony in a press release.

“How can we trust a justice to protect women’s rights when she denies the unique dignity of women? Nance asked. “According to Judge Brown Jackson, one must be a biologist in order to do that. I’m sorry, but that doesn’t pass the straight-face test.

“The sort of discrimination women are facing right now— with males displacing females from meaningful competition in direct violation of federal law, when the safety concerns of women in prisons and women’s domestic violence shelters are being ignored, when the sexual exploitation of women continues to expand, and so many other issues— demands judges who take women seriously.

“We gave Judge Brown Jackson a fair hearing, but we cannot in good conscience remain silent. We call on all Senators to oppose this nomination. They should call on President Joe Biden to withdraw Ketanji Brown Jackson and select another nominee. He considered multiple women for this important position; let him pick a woman who at least knows how to define ‘woman.’”

The judge finished up her testimony on Wednesday, March 23, and on Thursday, March 24, the Judiciary committee will hear from panels of witnesses for and against her nomination.

Photo from Reuters.