An Ontario judge who wore a hat in court bearing a slogan used by U.S. President Donald Trump has been suspended without pay over the incident.
The Ontario Judicial Council says Justice Bernd Zabel's conduct warrants the most serious reprimand possible short of removing him from the bench.
The council, which heard Zabel's case last month, says the incident marks a ``single aberrant and inexplicable act of judicial misconduct'' from an otherwise respected judge.
Zabel will be suspended for 30 days. The Hamilton-based judge has not been assigned cases since January.
At his hearing last month, Zabel said he meant to lighten the mood by wearing a baseball cap with the slogan ``Make America Great Again'' while walking into court on Nov. 9, 2016 the day after Trump won the U.S. election.
He testified that it was only after his actions made headlines that he realized some believed he was showing support for the controversial American president and his policies.