Judge Luttig, a former federal judge and longtime conservative, has revealed why he is endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris over Donald Trump. This is despite her public policy views being what Luttig assumes to be “vastly different from [his] own,” according to a five-page statement he has released on X (formerly Twitter).
Why is Judge Luttig voting for Harris instead of Trump in the 2024 presidential election?
Luttig states that he will “unhesitatingly vote” for Kamala Harris to uphold “America’s Democracy, the Constitution, and the Rule of Law.” The judge describes Trump as “singularly unfit” to become the President of the United States for a second term.
Throughout his statement, released during the DNC, he criticizes Trump and the Republican Party for continuing to deny the results of the 2020 presidential election and how this had led many Americans “to question whether constitutional democracy is the best form of self-government for America.” This is not surprising given that he advised then Vice President Mike Pence to certify the results of the 2020 election in defiance of then-President Donald Trump.
Luttig cites quotes from Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton in their warnings of a populist demagogue, who he believes Donald Trump represents. Due to this threat, he says Americans need to put aside partisan distinctions and prevent Trump from winning the 2024 election.
In a statement to CNN, the judge stated further that his decision to back Harris publicly is a matter of “right from wrong” and that he is acting according to his beliefs. He says, “In my faith, we believe that we will one day answer for our wrongs… It would have been wrong for me to say silent, and I believe I have one day had to answer for that silence. It’s really that simple.”
From 1991 to 2006, Luttig served as a U.S. circuit judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. He was nominated by President George H.W. Bush in April 1991 and, at the time, was the youngest judge at age 37 to be on a federal appeals court.
