A Canadian judge who wore a hat bearing the words “Make America Great Again” in court is not being assigned cases anymore. Justice Bernd Zabel drew numerous complaints when he walked into a courtroom in Hamilton, Ontario wearing the hat the day after Donald Trump was elected president of the United States.
The Canadian Judicial Council states that “Judges should strive to conduct themselves in a way that will sustain and contribute to public respect and confidence in their integrity, impartiality and good judgment.” Zabel’s decision to wear a hat with a Trump slogan on it raised concerns about impartiality and judgement.
Although Zabel apologized to the court but he made some subsequent comments which critics said undermined the apology.
The Ontario Court of Justice confirmed Zabel was no longer assigned cases as of December 21, 2015 but would not say why.
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