And finally… benched
Reading time: 1 minute
A Canadian judge who wore a Donald Trump “Make America Great Again” cap in his courtroom the day after Trump’s election victory has been removed from the bench.Justice Bernd Zabel of the Ontario Court of Justice received flak for wearing the pro-Trump hat in court on 9 November last year, with a number of formal complaints alleging he displayed a lack of impartiality.For his part, Justice Zabel apologised and claimed it was “just a celebration of an historic night in the United States” - not a political statement.
Michael Lacy, a vice-president of the Criminal Lawyers’ Association (CLA), called for an investigation into Justice Zabel.
He said: “The core of our judiciary in Canada is that judges be independent and objective, that theynot be politically partisan in any way.”That includes not wearing, or displaying or publicly supporting a political party.”
A spokesperson for the Ontario Court Chief Justice has confirmed the judge has stopped being assigned to preside in court.
Justice Zabel has declined to comment on the matter.
Share this article:
Subscribe to our newsletter to not miss articles like this one:
SUBSCRIBE
