Federal Appellate Judge to Be Boeing’s Top Lawyer

Boeing Co. said Wednesday it had hired prominent federal appellate Judge J. Michael Luttig to be its top in-house lawyer -- an unconventional choice for the aerospace giant as it seeks to restore its reputation after high-profile ethics scandals.

Luttig, once on President Bush’s short list for a nomination to the Supreme Court, will succeed Douglas Bain as senior vice president and general counsel. Bain plans to retire July 1 after 24 years with the company.

In his resignation letter to Bush, Luttig said that the job was a “singular opportunity” and that he felt he was staying within the realm of public service by leaving for a defense company that is an “American icon.”

Bain’s departure comes as the company is negotiating a settlement of two federal criminal investigations into its defense business. Boeing may end up paying a fine as large as $500 million to resolve allegations that it improperly acquired proprietary documents from rival Lockheed Martin Corp. and that it illegally recruited a senior Air Force official while she still had oversight of billions of dollars in other Boeing contracts.

Luttig, 51, served for 15 years on the Richmond, Va.-based U.S. 4th Circuit Court of Appeals and has long been considered one of the leading contenders for a Supreme Court seat in a Republican administration.

Luttig said in a telephone interview that he had not been looking to leave the appeals court but that the Boeing opportunity was too good to pass up.

“No one can or should plan his life around the possibility of a Supreme Court appointment,” Luttig said. “And my decision has nothing whatever to do with the Supreme Court process.”