“America Will Never Recover From This”: Former Appeals Court Judge Says Trump Damage Is Irreversible

Jo ShawDec 1, 2023

Minute Read

In a recent interview, Mr. Luttig, a former appeals court judge, asserted that the impact of Trump’s assault on Democracy is irreversible, maintaining that America’s reputation as a democratic beacon has been forever changed following the Capitol attack on Jan 6.

Republicans Instigated a War on Democracy

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MSNBC’s Alicia Menendez recently interviewed Luttig. Menendez asked Luttig what damage he thought had been inflicted on the judicial system and the legal profession. Luttig responded, “…the Republicans, led by the former president, instigated a war on American democracy on Jan 6, 2021.”

Prosecuting the War to a Catastrophic End

Luttig continued to provide his view on the damage to the legal system by stating, “…and now, today, three years later, we know that they are determined to prosecute that war to its catastrophic end.”

Trump Maintains the Election Was Stolen

He spoke about how Trump and his supporters have still continuously denied the election results from 2020 and have maintained that the 2020 election was stolen from Trump. Luttig stated, “…indeed, President Joe Biden won that election fair and square.”

Trump Has Laid Waste to Americans’ Confidence.

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Luttig continued. “Meanwhile, during those three years, that effort led by the former president has laid waste to Americans’ confidence in their democracy and their elections, in their Constitution, and in their rule of law.”

America Will Never Recover.

Luttig then stated it was his belief that “America will never recover from this assault on its democracy.”

A Tragic Period in Our History

Luttig then asserted that he was hopeful that “in the not-too-distant future, America will come to its senses and move on and beyond this tragic period in our history.” Additionally, he pointed out that Americans would “never recover as a nation” or ever “be viewed in the same way by the world prior to Jan 6.”

America Is No Longer a “Beacon” of Democracy.

“We were the beacon, if you will, of democracy around the world. No longer, I think, will that be the case,” Luttig told MSNBC’s Alicia Menendez. The interview coincided with his recent revelation that he and two conservative lawyers are founding a new law society. The three co-founders of the law society recently wrote an op-ed for the New York Times as they warned that “the Trump threat is growing.”

The Dangers Will Only Grow

The three lawyers, Mr. Conway, Mr. Luttig and Ms. Comstock, serve on the newly formed Society for the Rule of Law Institute’s board. Their op-ed warned that “the dangers will only grow should Donald Trump be returned to the White House next November.”

Trump Would Exact His Retribution.

Their opinion highlighted the dangers of Trump’s plans to hire his own loyal officials to high public office who would “rubber-stamp his plans to investigate and exact retribution against his political opponents” and “invoke special powers to take unilateral action on First Amendment-protected activities, criminal justice, elections, immigration and more.”

He Will Not Be Beaten Again

The trio of lawyers explained that in no uncertain terms would Trump’s plans for power fail a second time. They wrote, “Should Mr. Trump return to the White House, he will arrive with a coterie of lawyers and advisers who, like him, are determined not to be thwarted again.”

The Federalist Society Failed to Respond to Crisis

The lawyers also highlighted the inaction of the conservative Federalist Society. In the op-ed, they claimed that the “long the standard-bearer for the conservative legal movement has failed to respond in this period of crisis.”

Federalist Society Are Not Conservative Enough

In another recent article published by Slate, they claim that Trump no longer thinks the Federalist Society is conservative enough to continue with his plan for exacting revenge on his opponents and recreating a judicial system that would serve the Presidency.

Christian-Right Folks Were Kept Out.

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The article by Slate included the views of Amanda Hollis-Brusky, a professor of politics at Pomona College. In response to the Federalist Society not being considered conservative enough, she explained, “The real fringy kind of Christian-right folks were kept out of the mainstream at the beginning of the Federalist Society. The FedSocs wanted to be taken seriously by their liberal elite law-school colleagues.”

“God’s Law Over Man’s Law”

She then explained that the far-right viewpoints of “God’s law over man’s law” and “We need to get back to a Christian worldview” were “kept out of the mainstream.”

Lawyers Who Won’t Play by Gentleman’s Rules

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She then talked about Trump courting evangelicals to make the Christian worldview acceptable “Because they were not actually taken very seriously even by FedSoc,” Hollis-Brusky stated. She then noted that Trump was building relationships with lawyers on “the fringes of the Federal Society” who wouldn’t play by Leonard Leo’s gentleman’s rules.”

Trump’s Desires Cannot Be Accomplished Through Law

She further declared, “So much of what Donald Trump wants cannot be accomplished through the law.” She also raised the question: How far could Trump push the boundaries of the law before everyone “acknowledges it as lawless?”

Lawyers Committed to His “America First” Ideology.

A New York Times article also reported that Trump was looking for a new breed of lawyer, “committed to his ‘America First’ ideology. The article stated that allies close to Trump had revealed that he was looking for lawyers who were “willing to endure the personal and professional risks” of association with the former president. The article read, “They want lawyers in federal agencies and in the White House who are willing to use theories that more establishment lawyers would reject to advance his cause.”

A “Final Battle” Against Demonic “Enemies.”

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The New York Times stated that “This new mindset matches Mr. Trump’s declaration that he is waging a “final battle” against demonic “enemies” populating a “deep state” within the government that is bent on destroying America,” highlighting Trump’s recent post that he would “finish the job, once and for all.”