J. MICHAEL LUTTIG
Name: J. Michael Luttig
Born June 13, 1954 Tyler, Texas
J. Michael Luttig (born in Tyler, Texas, June 13, 1954) is an American lawyer
and a former federal judge.
Luttig graduated from Washington and Lee University in 1976. After receiving his
Juris Doctor from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1981 he briefly
worked for the Reagan administration. From 1982 to 1984 he clerked for then-Judge
Antonin Scalia of the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit and
for Supreme Court Chief Justice Warren Burger. Luttig continued to work for
Burger as a special assistant until 1985, when he entered private practice. In
1989, Luttig returned to government service, holding various positions within
the Department of Justice until 1991.
On April 23, 1991, President George H. W. Bush nominated Luttig to fill a newly
created seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.
Confirmed by the United States Senate on July 26, 1991, he became the youngest
judge (at age 37) on a federal appeals court.
On the bench, Luttig's idiosyncratic but restrained method of judging won wide
admiration in conservative legal circles as a model of principled jurisprudence,
and his sharp intellect was widely noted. He was compared to Justice Scalia for
his analytical rigor and for criticizing his colleagues for inconsistencies or
embellishments in their judicial opinions.
Luttig was the leading "feeder" judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals, with all but
two of his law clerks over the last 10 years of his tenure having gone on to
clerk with conservative justices on the Supreme Court. Luttig's
clerks have nicknamed themselves "Luttigators".
Luttig's father, John Luttig, was fatally shot in 1994 in a carjacking by
juvenile offender Napoleon Beazley. Beazley was eventually executed after twice
appealing to the Supreme Court, where Justices Antonin Scalia, David Souter, and
Clarence Thomas recused themselves because of past associations with Luttig.
In 2006 Luttig resigned to become general counsel and senior vice president for
The Boeing Company. The move came as a surprise to court watchers because
most federal judges, who are appointed for life, stay on the bench until
retirement. The move especially shocked the conservative legal community, in
which Luttig maintained a high profile and was something of a superstar. In his
resignation letter, Luttig wrote "Boeing may well be the only company in America
for which I would have ever considered leaving the court." He also mentioned
his two children's upcoming college education. The position at Boeing promised
more pay than the federal judgeship. At the time of his resignation, federal
appellate judges were paid $175,100 annually.
Name: J. Michael Luttig
Born June 13, 1954 Tyler, Texas
J. Michael Luttig (born in Tyler, Texas, June 13, 1954) is an American lawyer
and a former federal judge.
Luttig graduated from Washington and Lee University in 1976. After receiving his
Juris Doctor from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1981 he briefly
worked for the Reagan administration. From 1982 to 1984 he clerked for then-Judge
Antonin Scalia of the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit and
for Supreme Court Chief Justice Warren Burger. Luttig continued to work for
Burger as a special assistant until 1985, when he entered private practice. In
1989, Luttig returned to government service, holding various positions within
the Department of Justice until 1991.
On April 23, 1991, President George H. W. Bush nominated Luttig to fill a newly
created seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.
Confirmed by the United States Senate on July 26, 1991, he became the youngest
judge (at age 37) on a federal appeals court.
On the bench, Luttig's idiosyncratic but restrained method of judging won wide
admiration in conservative legal circles as a model of principled jurisprudence,
and his sharp intellect was widely noted. He was compared to Justice Scalia for
his analytical rigor and for criticizing his colleagues for inconsistencies or
embellishments in their judicial opinions.
Luttig was the leading "feeder" judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals, with all but
two of his law clerks over the last 10 years of his tenure having gone on to
clerk with conservative justices on the Supreme Court. Luttig's
clerks have nicknamed themselves "Luttigators".
Luttig's father, John Luttig, was fatally shot in 1994 in a carjacking by
juvenile offender Napoleon Beazley. Beazley was eventually executed after twice
appealing to the Supreme Court, where Justices Antonin Scalia, David Souter, and
Clarence Thomas recused themselves because of past associations with Luttig.
In 2006 Luttig resigned to become general counsel and senior vice president for
The Boeing Company. The move came as a surprise to court watchers because
most federal judges, who are appointed for life, stay on the bench until
retirement. The move especially shocked the conservative legal community, in
which Luttig maintained a high profile and was something of a superstar. In his
resignation letter, Luttig wrote "Boeing may well be the only company in America
for which I would have ever considered leaving the court." He also mentioned
his two children's upcoming college education. The position at Boeing promised
more pay than the federal judgeship. At the time of his resignation, federal
appellate judges were paid $175,100 annually.