Canadian judge who wore 'MAGA' hat in court suspended
The judge had worn the hat to 'add a bit of humour' to the court proceedings
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A Canadian judge who wore a “Make America Great Again” hat in court has been suspended for 30 days.
Judge Bernd Zabel had shown up to work the day after the US’s 2016 election donning the hat advertising Donald Trump’s campaign slogan.
After the Globe and Mail published a story about Mr Zabel's MAGA attire, the Ontario Judicial Council received a flood of complaints from people expressing concerns that they would not be treated impartially in Mr Zabel’s courtroom, according to Buzzfeed News.
Appearing before the council’s disciplinary panel last month, Mr Zabel said he regretted wearing the hat.
“It was ill-considered, ill-thought out and I’ve obviously learned a lot from that,” he told the panel.
Mr Zabel, who has worked as a judge in Ontario for nearly 30 years, said he had bought several MAGA hats as historical memorabilia, not because he supported Mr Trump, Buzzfeed reported.
He wore one of the iconic red hats to “add a bit of humour” to the court proceedings. But that apparently didn’t work.
The disciplinary panel determined that Mr Zabel breached judicial standards by donning the hat, writing in its decision that the judge had “a lengthy and stellar record of service” marred by “a single and inexplicable” act of judicial misconduct, Buzzfeed said.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments