Senator Ted Cruz led his questioning of Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch on Tuesday with a question known to millions of Douglas Adams fans.

“Let me start with something lighter, and a topic on which I believe you have some familiarity,” noted Senator Cruz: “What is the answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe, and everything?”

The question prompted some laughter among the people in attendance. The Trump nominee simply replied, “42.”

The Texas Republican followed up by wondering, “Could you explain what it is to which we’re referencing?”

Gorsuch explained that he sometimes uses the question in his courtroom to “put [people] at ease.” He continued that “they all know the answer, and they all know the answer because they’ve all read Douglas Adams’s ‘Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy’.”

The Supreme Court nominee then gave the book a ringing endorsement: “If you haven’t read it, you should. It may be one of my daughter’s favorite books. And so, that’s a family joke.”

Cruz revealed that “it is a book that I’ve very much enjoyed as well.” He added that “it is, I think, a delightful example of the humanity of a judge that your record has demonstrated.”

[image via screengrab]

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