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Canadian judge who wore Trump hat in court suspended for 30 days
From the CBC: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/zabel-hat-decision-1.4285487
A Hamilton judge who wore a "Make America Great Again" hat in court the morning after Donald Trump's U.S. election win last November has been suspended for 30 days.
Judge Bernd Zabel appeared before a disciplinary hearing last month, and said he did not support the American president, but was simply trying to make people laugh when he wore the baseball cap with the phrase Trump used during his campaign.
"Justice Zabel is reprimanded for his breach of the standards of judicial conduct," reads the decision from the Ontario Judicial Council.
The decision also said Zabel is suspended for 30 days without pay. He has not been hearing cases since December.
The suspension is the most serious sanction that the Ontario Judicial Council can impose, short of dismissing the judge.
After news broke that Zabel wore the hat in court on Nov. 9, 2016, the council received 81 complaints about his conduct. According to the decision, the most common theme throughout them was that the veteran judge's conduct "represented an unacceptable expression of partisan political views by a judge."
"Most complainants indicate a heightened concern as they perceive many of the things Trump said during his campaign to indicate misogynistic, racist, homophobic, and anti-Muslim attitudes," the decision reads. "The complainants state that Justice Zabel has associated himself with those views by his conduct and that women and members of various vulnerable groups would reasonably fear that they would not be treated fairly and impartially by Justice Zabel."
The decision also touched on the tumultuous political climate in the United States, and noted that the 2016 election campaign was "highly partisan and bitter."
"The candidates advocated strongly divergent policies. Many of Trump's positions were provocative and controversial. If adopted, his policies on matters such as free trade, climate change, immigration, and national security would affect the daily lives of many Canadians," the decision reads.
"Many Canadians found his views on women, racialized minorities, and other vulnerable groups to be highly offensive. For a judge to appear to endorse Trump's views would be perceived by the public to be an expression of opinion on issues of profound importance to Canadians."
Zabel appeared before a disciplinary hearing in Toronto last month, and apologized for wearing the hat.
Judge Bernd Zabel appeared before a disciplinary hearing last month, and said he did not support the American president, but was simply trying to make people laugh when he wore the baseball cap with the phrase Trump used during his campaign.
"Justice Zabel is reprimanded for his breach of the standards of judicial conduct," reads the decision from the Ontario Judicial Council.
The decision also said Zabel is suspended for 30 days without pay. He has not been hearing cases since December.
The suspension is the most serious sanction that the Ontario Judicial Council can impose, short of dismissing the judge.
After news broke that Zabel wore the hat in court on Nov. 9, 2016, the council received 81 complaints about his conduct. According to the decision, the most common theme throughout them was that the veteran judge's conduct "represented an unacceptable expression of partisan political views by a judge."
"Most complainants indicate a heightened concern as they perceive many of the things Trump said during his campaign to indicate misogynistic, racist, homophobic, and anti-Muslim attitudes," the decision reads. "The complainants state that Justice Zabel has associated himself with those views by his conduct and that women and members of various vulnerable groups would reasonably fear that they would not be treated fairly and impartially by Justice Zabel."
The decision also touched on the tumultuous political climate in the United States, and noted that the 2016 election campaign was "highly partisan and bitter."
"The candidates advocated strongly divergent policies. Many of Trump's positions were provocative and controversial. If adopted, his policies on matters such as free trade, climate change, immigration, and national security would affect the daily lives of many Canadians," the decision reads.
"Many Canadians found his views on women, racialized minorities, and other vulnerable groups to be highly offensive. For a judge to appear to endorse Trump's views would be perceived by the public to be an expression of opinion on issues of profound importance to Canadians."
Zabel appeared before a disciplinary hearing in Toronto last month, and apologized for wearing the hat.
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