Town Court Justice Kyle R. Canning has been barred from the bench after posting a picture of a noose on Facebook with the caption “If we want to make America great again, we will have to make evil people fear punishment again.”
What We Know:
- The picture, posted in February 2018, remained up on the website until the commission sent him a letter about it six months later. In May 2019, Canning was served with a formal written complaint and resigned from his position in June.
- The complaint stated that he “failed to act in a manner that promotes public confidence in the integrity and impartiality of the judiciary.” Canning, who is not an attorney, was elected to a four-year term as town judge in Altona, New York, near the Canadian border.
- The State of New York Commission on Judicial Conduct found that Canning improperly conveyed racial and/or political bias. On Tuesday, the New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct announced that Canning had agreed “never to seek or accept judicial office at any time in the future.”
- Commission Administrator Robert H. Tembeckjian commented on the situation. “The noose is an incendiary image with repugnant racial connotations. It is the very antithesis of law and justice…For a judge to use the image of the noose in making a political point undermines the integrity of the judiciary and public confidence in the courts.”
Glad he is gone.
