Oregon Judge Vance Day is currently being investigated for refusing to perform same sex marriages. But according to an ethics commission, that's not all he's done wrong. Among other infractions, the ethics commission alleges that the judge had a framed picture of Hitler in his courthouse.
The New York Daily News reports:
Court assistants alleged that the judge put up a picture of Nazi leader Adolf Hitler without consulting anyone else of staff, and refused to take it down when other employees said it made them uncomfortable.
"When his judicial assistant removed the items while Judge Day was on vacation, Judge Day told her that he is a ‘benevolent dictator’ and that she 'works at his pleasure,'" court documents...read. It is not clear if "benevolent dictator" referred to Hitler or himself.
The judge claims he put up the picture "to honor the veterans who defeated Hitler—not glorify the dictator," according to the article.
"The purpose was to show that these young Americans triumphed over fascism," Day said.
Strange choice.
Day was head of the Veterans Treatment Court, which is meant to provide alternatives to jail and support to veterans suffering from addiction. The judge's treatment of these vets, however, leaves much to be desired. He has allegedly referred to the vets as "raggedy asses." He also apparently gave a veteran permission to handle firearms, despite the fact that the man had a felony conviction.
Keep reading to learn more about this judge's remarkable lack of judgment.
At times he was remarkably careless regarding veterans' mental health, insisting that one man suffering from PTSD read a book about a Navy SEAL called Fearless, which, according to the complaint, "exacerbated (the veteran’s) PTSD symptoms and threatened his sobriety." He also required a group of veterans to "watch a video that triggered PTSD symptoms in some of them."
He wasn't particularly great to his employees, either, often requiring them to stay late and refusing to give them lunch breaks.
Day has responded to these complaints, telling the Associated Press, "It appears that the commission has thrown everything in but the kitchen sink. The clear issue that they're after me on is that I had stopped doing weddings because I have a firmly held religious conviction."
Gay marriage has been legal in Oregon since May 2014, but Day told his staff to tell same-sex couples to find another judge.
A judge has one job. Uphold the law. That's all. But this judge refuses to do it. And he wants Oregon residents to spend their tax dollars on his salary despite his inability to do his job?
But finally it seems he may be held accountable. Apparently he once told a group of veterans, "I’m the judge—I can do whatever I want."
But he's wrong.
Judge Day was elected to the bench. He's accountable to voters. And this is just another example of why voters must pay attention to judicial elections.
The commission may sanction him, but the real power is in the hands of voters. They can vote him out. The bad news is that he's not up for election until 2018.
Elected judges are rarely monitored, tracked, traced, or at all held accountable. That's a real shame, especially in cases like this. Judge Day should be a reminder to all of everyone that many of these terrible judges are at the ballot's mercy. The power is in our hands.