U.S. District Judge Ursula Ungaro-Benages neatly sidestepped a question last week about President Bush’s nomination of White House Counsel Harriet Miers to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Asked whether she felt the widespread, bipartisan criticism of Miers was sexist, Ungaro-Benages — who was painlessly confirmed by the Senate in 1992 — didn’t answer the question directly. Instead, she said “the confirmation process is wacky. You never know who will get shot at.”