Acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker. (DOJ)

Matthew Whitaker, the acting attorney general of the United States, said that judges at the federal level, especially the U.S. Supreme Court, should have "a biblical view of justice" and a proper understanding of "natural law and natural rights." If they do, he added, "they'll be a good judge."

Whitaker, 49, made his remarks during a nomination-run in Iowa for the U.S. Senate in 2014, a nomination that was secured by Joni Ernst who also won the election.

During a forum sponsored by The Family Leader, moderator Erick Erickson asked the candidates what they look for in a federal judge to decide whether they are fit to serve.

In his response, Whitaker said, "Well, as someone that’s interacted with the federal judiciary a time or two, I will tell you that I have a unique perspective on federal judges. And you know, while I agree I want to understand their judicial philosophy and whether they understand natural law and natural rights and then the founding documents and how they fit together, I don’t think that gets us far enough because natural law oftentimes is used from the eye of the beholder, if you will."

"And what I’d like to see is, I’d like to see things like their worldview," he said.

"What informs them?" said Whitaker. "What -- how would they live their lives? Are they people of faith? Do they have a biblical view of justice, which I think is very important because we all know that our government—”

Erickson then jokingly interjected, “Levitical or New Testament?”

Whitaker continued, “I’m a New Testament—and what I know is, as long as they have that worldview, that they’ll be a good judge."

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"And if they have a secular worldview, where this is all we have here on earth, then I’m going to be very concerned about how they judge you," he said.

According to the Des Moines Register, Whitaker is an evangelical Lutheran. He is married and has three children.

h/t RightWingWatch