Controversial ex-judge from Oregon appointed to Trump administration

Former Marion County Circuit Judge Vance Day — who once made headlines for refusing to wed gay couples, and for hanging a picture of Hitler in the courthouse — has been hired by the Trump administration.

Day, 64, will serve as senior counsel to the Office of the Deputy Attorney General of the United States. Emil Bove has been acting head of the office since Jan. 20.

In a text message, Day confirmed he started work Tuesday and, using a GIF, indicated he was facing a firehose of assignments.

In 2015, Day refused to perform same-sex weddings, stirring outrage and an investigation by the state Judicial Fitness Commission. It then came to light that Day had created a WWII collage for veterans ahead of a treatment court graduation ceremony, and that it featured letters and historical photographs over a portrait of Adolf Hitler.

Day has said the display was a patriotic celebration of America’s victory in the conflict.

The Oregon Supreme Court ultimately suspended Day for three years beginning in 2018. He left the bench and mounted an unsuccessful electoral campaign against Oregon Court of Appeals Judge Darleen Ortega in 2022.

Local Republican groups, including the Oregon Conservative Caucus, lauded the appointment.

“An early target of political lawfare, Vance has been a staunch 1A rights advocate and a wise source of counsel for us in many areas,” the Oregon Conservative Caucus said, using an acronym for the First Amendment.