STUNNER...

Whoa. This comes as a HUGE shock to me...

Federal Appeals Court Judge LuttigTapped for Boeing General Counsel

Judge J. Michael Luttig, one of the country's most prominent conservative
jurists and once considered a likely Supreme Court nominee, has resigned from
the Fourth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Va., to become senior vice
president and general counsel for the Boeing
Co. in Chicago.

Last year, as two vacancies appeared on the U.S. Supreme Court, Judge Luttig was
widely reported to be on the White House short list, and his candidacy was
touted by former clerks who had gone on to influential positions in the current
Bush administration. But the positions ultimately went to two fellow alumni of
the Reagan Justice Department, Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel
Alito. People close to the selection process said that it was unlikely President
Bush would consider Judge Luttig for any future vacancies, as political
imperatives all but precluded nomination of another white male for the high
court.

Luttig was/is one of the biggest icons of the Federalist Society/conservative judicial philosophy. It appears that, seeing his best chances for the high court gone, he has decided to go in another direction. I have no idea if that is his actual motivation - but it is a reasonable possibility. In any case, it's a terribly interesting decision. And a BIG shock.