Former federal judge J. Michael Luttig has criticized Donald Trump for his continuous attacks on the U.S. judicial system.
What Happened: On Friday, Luttig, a Republican who served on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit, took to X, formerly Twitter, and in a series of posts accused Trump of making “threatening attacks” against the federal and state courts and their officer.
In one of the posts, he said, “Never in American history has any person, let alone a President of the United States, leveled such threatening attacks against the federal and state courts and federal and state judicial officers of the kind the former president has leveled continually now for years.”
Luttig, who served from 1991 to 2006, called for a more active response from the nation to counter Trump’s attacks. He also said that it is the Supreme Court’s responsibility to protect the federal and state courts, judges, and all participants in the justice system.
“suffice it to say, never in history has any person leveled such attacks and been met with such passivity, acquiescence, and submissiveness by the nation,” Luttig posted on X.
He commended U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton for speaking out against Trump’s attacks, stating that it is the responsibility of the entire nation to protect its courts and judges, its Constitution, its Rule of Law, and America’s Democracy from vicious attack, threat, undermine, and deliberate delegitimization at the hands of anyone so determined.
Why It Matters: Earlier this month, Luttig also expressed his disapproval of the Supreme Court’s decision to allow Trump to run for office in 2024, stating that the court had “dangerously betrayed” its duty.
Trump has been under fire for his repeated attacks on the daughter of the judge overseeing his upcoming hush money trial in New York. The former President has singled out Loren Merchan, the daughter of New York State Justice Juan Merchan.
He previously took to Truth Social and said, “Judge Juan Merchan is totally compromised, and should be removed from this TRUMP Non-Case immediately. His Daughter, Loren, is a Rabid Trump Hater, who has admitted to having conversations with her father about me, and yet he gagged me.”
Former federal prosecutor Andrew Weissmann has also criticized Trump for these attacks, questioning if there is “no depth to which he will not descend.”
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of Benzinga Neuro and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
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