Utah judge, Michael Kwan, suspended for criticizing Donald Trump

The state Supreme Court ruled that Judge Michael Kwan had violated the Code of Judicial Conduct on several occasions and undermined "the reputation of our entire judicial system," according to a notice released to the public. last week.

As a municipal judge in Taylorsville, a suburb of Salt Lake City since 1998, Kwan deals with minor offenses, prescription violations and small claims.

His lawyer, Greg Skordas, said that Kwan had agreed to be punished but that he was disappointed with the seriousness of the situation. In an interview with the Salt Lake Tribune, Skordas compared the case with the confirmation hearings of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. Last September, Kavanaugh denied allegations of sexual assault and blamed Bill and Hillary Clinton and "leftist opposition groups" for publicizing these accusations.

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"It seems troubling to me that a man (…) sexually assaulting a woman in college, publicly blames the Clintons in front of a global audience and is upheld before the US Supreme Court," said Skordas, " while a municipal court judge outwardly supports his own Asian community, makes a joke about the waste of money on a wall in front of the six people present in his courtroom, and then is suspended without pay during six months. "

The Supreme Court made an exchange in January 2017 between Kwan and a defendant, which constituted a violation because he humiliated the defendant while commenting on Trump's tax and immigration policies. The defendant said that she was considering using a tax refund to pay fines, according to court documents.

"Prayer could be the answer," Kwan replied. "Because he just signed an order to start building the wall and he does not have money to do it, so if you think you're going to get your taxes back this year, um-yes, maybe to be, maybe not. "

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Kwan has also posted critical comments on Trump on Facebook and LinkedIn starting in 2016, the state's Supreme Court announced. His Facebook account was private, but friends could have shared his publications.

In February 2017, Kwan wrote: "Welcome to the beginning of the Fascist takeover. We must question the Republicans of Congress diligently if we want them to be the American Reichstag and refuse to defend the Constitution. "

As an American of Asian descent, Kwan was one of the 8% non-white judges of Utah in 2010, according to the American Bar Association. At the time, seven of the 83 state judges were people of color.

Kwan's political affiliation is unknown because he has chosen to keep his private voter registration, an option available to any voter, said Justin Lee, Utah's Chief Electoral Officer.

"Judge Kwan's behavior undermines his reputation as an impartial, independent, dignified and courteous jurist who derives no benefit from his mandate," Utah State Supreme Court Justice John A. said in a statement. Pearce.

Kwan is not the first judge in the city to be reprimanded for his political views. A municipal judge from Akron, Ohio, was targeted in 2016 after attending a rally for Trump and standing behind him while holding one of his campaign placards.

Contribute: The Associated Press

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