U.S. Magistrate Judge John Primomo has been sanctioned by the district court for the Western District of Texas, after he told a group of new citizens at a citizenship ceremony that they should leave the country if they cannot accept President-elect Donald Trump.
Chief U.S. District Judge Orlando Garcia for the Western District of Texas told the Wall Street Journal the court’s district judges unanimously voted to strip Primomo of the prerogative to preside over citizenship ceremonies — when immigrants who have satisfied all of the criteria for citizenship take an oath and officially become Americans.
Shortly thereafter, Primomo submitted a notice announcing plans to retire after his 65 birthday in September 2017. A magistrate judge serves a term of eight years and may be reappointed by the district court, whom he serves at the conclusion of his term. He was reappointed several times by the Western District of Texas since he first began serving in 1988. (RELATED: Judge Actually Joked About Drunk Sex And Temptresses In Court)
“I can assure you that whether you voted for him or you did not vote for him, if you are a citizen of the United States, he is your president,” Primomo said in connection to cursory remarks about the rash of demonstrations which greeted Trump’s victory, according to local media. “He will be your president, and if you do not like that, you need to go to another country.”
For his part, the judge claims he did not mean to give offense or cultivate an unwelcoming environment.
“I wasn’t trying to say anything for or against Donald Trump,” he said in his defense. “I was just trying to say something hopeful and unifying and unfortunately it was taken out of context.”
The judge also criticized San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick for refusing to stand during the national anthem before NFL games.
“I detest that, because you can protest things that happen in this country; you have every right to,” he said. “You don’t do that by offending national symbols like the national anthem and the flag of the United States.”
Primomo has presided over such ceremonies for over 25 years. He claims he did not vote for the president-elect in November’s general election. He will continue to perform certain functions like hearing pre-trial motions and habeas petitions.
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