Saturday, November 12, 2016

The Outrageous Case of the Judge In The Trump Hat



Imagine you're having a really bad post U.S. election nightmare, where you're being dragged before a judge for joining in an anti-Trump demo. 

And when you look up from your clanking leg irons, you see the judge is Rudy Giuliani and he's wearing a Donald Trump baseball cap. 

That would be a horrible nightmare wouldn't it? But at least you could say only in America eh?

Until you found out you were wrong.



It seems that can also happen in Canada, for real. 

And here the cap was on the head of the guy in the middle, Ontario Court judge Bernd Zabel 

An Ontario Court judge wore a “Make America Great Again” hat in his courtroom the day after the U.S. election to mark president-elect Donald Trump’s “historic” victory, according to a source in the room.

Ontario Court Justice Bernd Zabel arrived at the John Sopinka courthouse in Hamilton on Wednesday morning wearing Mr. Trump’s signature campaign hat, according to the source, and addressed the numerous lawyers, police officers and defendants.

Now imagine you're a woman, or a Muslim, or a Mexican immigrant, or a black or hispanic or gay Canadian.  

How would you feel after the way Trump has insulted you, and threatened to take away your rights?

Could you trust a judge like that not to be biased, and render a fair judgement?

I think the answer is obvious.

For Kim Stanton, legal director at the Women’s Legal Education and Action Fund, the hat is especially problematic because of Mr. Trump’s derogatory comments about women.

“Unfortunately for many women, Trump is now linked inextricably with misogyny. The idea that a judge in a Canadian court would not just make a partisan political display but also link to someone who is now infamous for misogynous comments and conduct would absolutely suggest to a woman that this might not be a courtroom where she’ll have a fair shake,” Ms. Stanton said.


What was Zabel thinking? What country or century does he think he's living in? Can't he tell the difference between historic and catastrophic?

And why is everybody running for cover?

Justice Zabel did not return phone calls Thursday requesting comment about the incident. A spokesman for Ontario’s Ministry of the Attorney General referred requests to the Chief Justice of the Ontario Court of Justice, Lise Maisonneuve, who declined to comment when contacted by The Globe. Assistant Crown Attorney Janet Booy also declined to comment.

Instead of denouncing him, and at the very least demanding an apology.

You know, this is my nightmare and the reason I avoid driving through Manitoba...



In case I get a traffic ticket and end up in Vic Toews' court.

But now I've got to avoid Hamilton as well? 

And let's not forget that Lorne at Politics And Its Discontents caught another Ontario judge in flagrante delicto wearing a Trump t-shirt.

And thanks to his complaint to the Canadian Judicial Council, that judge had to promise not to do that again. Only to have another judge do something even more egregious.

What is going on? Where are these Trumpling judges coming from? 

Is this the Twilight Zone? 



Oh boy. Vice's Josh Visser has some more questions for judge Zabel.


While I try to imagine what he looks like with a Trump hat on...



And yes, it is just as I figured.

Not good, totally ridiculous, and definitely not Canadian.

The old Trumplings in Canada, of whom there are many, really are pathetic.

And Zabel should apologize, or be fired or retired as soon as is humanly possible...

15 comments:

luceforma said...

survivors of sexual violence, women and girls, please take note:
the scope of your daily terror has now expanded beyond the "omnipresent, often unidentifiable threat everywhere and nowhere at once" (Harding, 2015).

glorifying thedonald values in court equals to the institutionalization of rape culture; it goes beyond normalization of sexual violence - it is an acknowledgment that 'grabbing her by the p***y is what gives you the status of a successful man.

we must pressure JT to ensure that judges who have not been properly socialized in the Canadian society loose their privilege to judge it.

Unknown said...

I'm pretty sure judges have a lot of power in their own courtroom. Tacky? Sure. Fire him? I think not.

-MC

Anonymous said...

I can see a "good old boy" right wing judge in the US pulling a stunt like that but here? Extremely offensive and totally inappropriate. There better be some kind of admonishment/punishment for this "judge". If he wants to click his heels and one arm salute Trump he best do it in private.
JD

luceforma said...

i think a period of a probatory observation, at least, would be in order (if ONLY because, as you say: "judges have a lot of power in their own courtroom").

btw, if a judge is found to be politically partial, he no longer fulfills one of the key tenets of his job description...

... but then, we live in a trumply era when lack of qualification is da shit

Anonymous said...

There is no rape culture in the West. It is being imported by the regressive left. And when a rapist is caught, the silence from feminists is deafening... because he's not white.

http://montreal.ctvnews.ca/man-released-on-bail-in-alleged-sex-assaults-at-universite-laval-1.3156889

-MC

Anonymous said...

Judge Vic, one of the good old boys, a beacon in a moral society. Accused of bigotry,bribery,influence peddling,sex for favors,but all is readily forgiven as he is a defender against those that would tear apart the very fabric of our moral society.Blind are those who will not see!
RT

luceforma said...

>>There is no rape culture in the West.<<
rape culture is an environment in which victims of sexual violence are disbelieved and discouraged to report sexual assault (that ranges from inappropriate talk to rape) for the fear of ridicule, exposure and slut shaming. in this environment, the victim is effectually removed from the perpetrator's way and he (98% of sexual assault is perpetrated by men) is allowed to walk free. in this way, sexual violence is normalized. this means generations upon generations have been breastfed on this standard, so we don't notice it. i've been researching rape culture for a while and can only say that i wish you were right, i wish its existence was up for discussion. can i just ask that you seriously consider the possibility that just because you may not be a Man who'd hurt others, not all men are real Men?

>>It is being imported by the regressive left.<<
this, i don't understand. how is male sexual violence related to the left that it isn't related to the right (or the centre). this is a gender intersection and while it is deeply political in its own right, it can be relatively easily distinguished from broader political ideologies.

and this brings me to your third point - >>when a rapist is caught, the silence from feminists is deafening...<<
firstly, let me shout out that the DEAFNESS to feminists research is trumping wild. rape culture is not a topic you'll hear people talking about very often. it is my experience that it is a subject more avoided than sought. it is one-sidedly rainy and one-sidedly insulted. and, unless we are careful with each other, truth is the first sacrifice of any conflict. denying that something so hurtful and damaging exists is not being careful even with yourself.

and then, there is your final point: >>because he's not white.<<
this is the other intersection and another very important reason why Canadian judges, supporting thedonald's values, should not be allowed to occupy their posts in Canada. when you have a sense of justice (if not fairness), you are able to report crime and prosecute it. when you don't, you've lost an important tool in ruling the masses. the American people have much to fear, indeed.

thank you for giving rape culture serious consideration and remember that just because you are not part of it, doesn't mean that it doesn't exist. young people can tell. they know. they see through rationalized bullshit. i'm down with this youth because it's real. cheers, lf

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0qD2K2RWkc

luceforma said...

i'm sorry... i need to self-correct-
>>just because you are not part of it, doesn't mean that it doesn't exist<<
rape culture IS our culture. we are our culture. our lack of awareness of its existence parallels our lack of awareness of how we use language - we just do. in this sense, we all create our reality by enacting our believes (rooted in our values) - you and me and every person we love and know. we perform it all the time. so the question is, what will we do? how will we act to create new realities? nobody is gender neutral and we all have a part to play.
stay open, be honest and fear not. cheers and thanks. lf

Simon said...

hi Babe Ruth... that judge is either out of his mind or senile. Like so many silly old Cons in this country, time has passed him by, and he should be fired or forced to retire...

Simon said...

hi MC...stop peddling your foul misogyny or that racist garbage on my site. And stop watching The Rebel so much, you're starting to sound like Ezra Levant, which believe me is not a compliment....

Simon said...

hi RT...I still can't believe that ridiculous right-wing fool, parading around with that hat on, and then leaving it on the bench so others could see it, while pleading their cases. Any woman or any member of any minority can now challenge any of his judgements, so he has only succeeded in shooting himself in the foot. It's clear he doesn't know what country he is living in, and should at the very least be forced to retire...

Simon said...

hi RT...I'm glad to see you agree with me, and ready to paraphrase that famous statement from a CBS executive: Manitoba is a province I FLY over... ;)

e.a.f. said...

The judge needs to be removed from his position. Judges in Canada have historically remained above the fray unlike the U.S.A. where they are frequently elected. A strong message needs to be sent to all judges in Canada: You have a choice, you can be a judge or you can be political, but not both.

Anonymous said...

Ugh... So far there have been accusations of all kinds made towards trump... So far the evidence is not there, just claims and ism's thrown all over the place... Illegal immigrants? please note the word illegal placed in front of the word immigrant before yelling racist for example. Oh and why is nationalism good for just about any other free country on the planet unless it's the US? My guess is there is a lot of illegal immigrants shaking in their boots right now... Get out and apply like your brothers and sisters who respect US law and apply using the legal route.

MrCanada said...

"Ontario judge who wore Trump hat in court suspended without pay for 30 days"