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Judge J. Michael Luttig warns of threats to U.S. democracy in UW keynote
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Summary
Former federal judge J. Michael Luttig told a University of Washington symposium that recent events pose an urgent threat to American democracy and called for collective action to defend the rule of law, invoking historical founding texts and the January 6 attack.
Judge J. Michael Luttig delivered a forceful keynote at the University of Washington School of Law symposium on April 20, saying the nation faces an urgent test of its constitutional order.
Speaking to an audience that included state and federal jurists, academics and lawyers, Luttig framed recent events as a direct challenge to long-standing legal and democratic norms. "On 01/06/2021, it was a dark day in American history," he said, and added that the actions and rhetoric of the 47th president have continued to threaten the rule of law. Luttig urged attendees to "break the silence of the night" and to speak out in defense of the constitution.
Luttig drew repeatedly on the nation’s founders, Abraham Lincoln and Thomas Paine to argue that legal principles must be defended across generations. He said the judiciary — particularly federal district courts — has been on the front lines and called for broad civic engagement to preserve democratic institutions. "We must find our voices again," he told the audience.
His remarks mixed historical citation and moral appeal with contemporary criticism: Luttig described what he called a "war on America's democracy" since January 6 and contended that some modern conduct represented an inversion of constitutional norms. He urged lawyers, judges and the broader public to treat the moment with urgency and to take practical steps to support judicial independence.
The keynote set the conference’s tone and led directly into a multi‑panel discussion where jurists and scholars weighed the scope of the challenge, debated public communication strategies and examined specific legal developments.
The symposium continued with a panel of former judges and legal scholars responding to Luttig's call to action; the session included sustained discussion about the role of courts, public perceptions and possible institutional responses.
