Incoming Dundee University rector Maggie Chapman will keep her spot on Holyrood’s equalities committee after SNP MSPs voted to save her.
The North East Green’s position in parliament was on the line after she accused the UK’s Supreme Court of “bigotry”.
She spoke out after the court’s judgement on the definition of a “biological woman” earlier this month.
The dramatic attempt to remove Ms Chapman from the committee was acknowledged as “highly unusual”.
It is the latest twist in the divisive row over the balance between the rights of transgender people and women.
Today, the showdown vote on Ms Chapman’s future split along bitter party political fault lines.
In the hearing, the Green MSP came out swinging and insisted she had a right to challenge the ruling.
“I have never questioned the court’s right to make the ruling that it did,” she said.
“That does not mean I must agree with it. I don’t.”
North East MSP Ms White led calls for Ms Chapman to be expelled from the equalities, human rights and civil justice committee.
She said: “Her outburst was shocking, a totally unjustified attack on the rule of law.
“Her comments about the Supreme Court weren’t just rabble-rousing. They were dangerous, and incendiary.”
She was backed by Tory colleague Pam Gosal, who said Ms Chapman was “not fit” to continue as the committee’s deputy convenor.
Ms Chapman compared the Supreme Court’s ruling to decisions which upheld racist or homophobic laws.
“We’ve probably all criticised court judgements in the past,” she said.
“That’s not to say the courts did not have the constitutional right to make those judgements.
“But we would surely all hope if those rulings were made today, they would be made differently.”
Ms Chapman was joined by three SNP MSPs on the committee in voting against against calls for her removal.
It means she will not face a wider parliamentary vote among all MSPs to decide her fate.
Labour MSP Paul O’Kane sided with the Tories in supporting her removal.
He told MSPs he was “concerned” by Ms Chapman’s remarks as he offer her the chance to withdraw the comments.
But she was still able to emerge unscathed from the fiery session by a single vote.
The Supreme Court had ruled that for the purposes of equalities law, a “woman” refers to someone’s biological sex even if they have changed their gender.
Ms Chapman said “not in our name” to the decision during a protest against the ruling.
She was subsequently told to apologise by top lawyers for her “attack” on the Supreme Court.
Ms Chapman said she was “grateful” the committee had rejected calls to banish her.
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