Definitions Matter
"A Culture of Confusion" In a time when the U.S. Supreme Court is issuing rulings that shape the moral and legal fabric of our nation—from religious liberty to gender identity, from parental rights to the definition of citizenship—one moment from a recent confirmation hearing continues to echo with unsettling resonance. When asked by Senator Marsha Blackburn to define the word “woman,” Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson replied, “I’m not a biologist.” That answer, delivered during her 2022 confirmation hearing, was more than a dodge—it was a philosophical pivot that revealed a deeper crisis: if a Supreme Court justice cannot or will not define something as foundational as “woman,” how can we trust that justice to adjudicate the complex moral and constitutional questions that hinge on such definitions? Dr. J's Substack is available! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. The Court’s Role in a Confused Culture The Supreme Court is not merely a legal body—i...