A Utah judge who made anti-Trump comments has been suspended without pay for six months

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Salt Lake Tribune


Published: 4 hours ago
Updated: 2 hours ago

A Taylorsville justice court judge who has been on the bench for more than two decades will be suspended for six months without pay for making politically charged comments about President Donald Trump from the bench and on social media.

In a decision released late Thursday, Utah’s high court ruled that Judge Michael Kwan violated their code of conduct on several occasions.

In January 2017, Kwan had an exchange that appeared to demean a defendant, according to the opinion, and included political commentary related to Trump’s immigration and tax policies.

The conversation in question revolved around whether a defendant had been paying their fines. The person said they had planned to use their tax return to pay what they owed.


Read more: https://www.sltrib.com/news/2019/05/24/utah-judge-who-made-anti/

[Eliot Rosewater]

1. Ahh, America, nice while it lasted

[mahina]

7. Oh come on

That kind of doomed talk gets us nowhere.

We’re all in this fight and it is not over.

[abqtommy]

2. Hard to expect

any better from Utah!

[yaesu]

3. maybe a gofundme is in order. nt

[marble falls]

4. We've had GOPer judges removed for doing the same sort of things.

[Eugene]

5. From the Associated Press...

Utah judge suspended for making anti-Trump comments

On Trump's inauguration day, Jan. 20, 2017, he posted: ""Welcome to governing. Will you dig your heels in and spend the next four years undermining our country's reputation and standing in the world? . . . Will you continue to demonstrate your inability to govern and political incompetence?"

The next month, he posted: "Welcome to the beginning of the fascist takeover. . . We need to be diligent in questioning Congressional Republicans if they are going to be the American Reichstag and refuse to stand up for the Constitution, refuse to uphold their oath of office and enable the tyrants to consolidate their power."

The ruling suspending Kwan also cited an interaction in court with a defendant in January 2017 in which Kwan criticized Trump after the defendant said he would use his tax return to pay fines.

"You do realize that we have a new president, and you think we are getting any money back?" Kwan said.

https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/utah-judge-suspended-making-anti-trump-comments-63258536

[cstanleytech]

6. Sounds like he was punished for simply speaking the truth as the tax cuts benefitted

the wealthy far more than the average person.

[bitterross]

9. When he's on the bench he has to be neutral

He said all of that while on the bench. That's out of line.

[cstanleytech]

10. I know but it was essentially the truth still.

[bitterross]

8. He should be suspended w/o pay. He was out of line.

I wouldn't approve of a GOP-leaning judge doing the same thing. I don't approve of him doing it.

[jvill]

11. Now do Brett Kavanaugh

n/t

[Polybius]

15. SC Justices are immune

They can be impeached, that's it, but none would be impeached for trash-talking a President.

[AncientGeezer]

12. Good....never make political statmenets from the Bench

You don't do that..

[TomSlick]

13. It doesn't matter that the judge was factually correct. He was out of line.

Judges must keep their political views to themselves.

[Jake Stern]

14. He made this pronouncement from the bench

not on his personal Twitter account.

While what he said is correct it calls his ability to be impartial into question.

Going with Utah on this one.