“It was like teaching a cat to play chess,” said Professor Emeritus Gerald Barnes, who still shakes his head whenever he recalls Harris’s time in his Introduction to Political Science class. “Kamala had this strange way of answering questions. If I asked her what the Constitution was, she’d smile that famous smile of hers and say, ‘The Constitution is a living document… full of potential, just like all of us.’ I mean, what does that even mean?”
According to Barnes, Harris was notorious for her ability to speak at length without actually saying anything. “I’d ask her a simple question about the three branches of government, and by the end of her answer, we’d somehow be talking about jazz music and the importance of self-expression. I still don’t know how she did it.”
Professor Meredith Johnston, who taught Harris in her Constitutional Law class, agreed. “Kamala was the queen of answering a question with a question. I’d ask her to define judicial review, and she’d reply, ‘But professor, shouldn’t we first ask ourselves, what is justice?’ It was maddening. And when I’d press her for a straight answer, she’d just laugh that signature laugh and say, ‘Come on, professor, don’t be so serious!’”
