A Canadian Judge Has Been Suspended for Wearing a 'Make America Great Again' Hat

A Toronto judge that, for whatever reason, wore a pro-Trump hat in his courtroom has been suspended for 30 days without pay.

As first reported by the Toronto Star, Hamilton Justice Bernd Zabel was handed the suspension after wearing the hat to his courtroom the day after the 2016 US election and received 81 complaints—even more than the "keep your knees together" judge in Alberta.

­­Zabel, tried to play the hat off as a bad attempt at humour, but according to the agreed statements of facts, the judge, when asked by a prosecutor about the hat, indicated he was trolling the courtroom.

"Brief appearance for the hat. Pissed off the rest of the judges because they all voted for Hillary, so. I was the only Trump supporter up there, but that's OK."

According to the Canadian Press, Zabel later stated that he isn't a Trump supporter but was "gloating" that he got the outcome of the election correct.

The main reason for the hubbub surrounding the hat is the idea that judges are required to sit as apolitical parties—something which, you know, is kind of ruined when you wear a MAGA hat to the courtroom. Essentially, by wearing this hat, Zabel opened himself up to critics who could argue that he would be impartial.

The judge stopped hearing cases in late December of last year, most likely as a result of the malfeasance. In August, Zabel finally faced an Ontario Judicial Council disciplinary hearing regarding his actions. The council released their ruling in a statement on Tuesday saying that Zabel's "conduct that day gave rise to a perception by many that he was a Trump supporter and that he agreed with Trump's views and policies. In doing so, he violated a fundamental principle of judicial ethics and, particularly in view of the controversy surrounding Donald Trump's campaign, engaged in serious misconduct."

However, the council said that wearing the MAGA hat was "completely at odds with the exemplary judge he has been for the past 27 years." So, while the council had the power to remove Zabel from his duties, they decided on the 30 day suspension.

"We're satisfied that members of vulnerable groups need have no fear about the treatment they would receive from Justice Zabel," reads their ruling.

Follow Mack Lamoureux on Twitter.