TAYLORSVILLE, Utah (AP) — A Utah judge who was suspended for six months after making online comments criticizing President Donald Trump has returned to his seat on the bench.

Judge Michael Kwan was reinstated Dec. 2 after a six-month suspension without pay, the Deseret News reported Friday.

“I thought about resigning and then posting, but I didn’t think it would have the same effect,” Kwan said. “I thought that it would be more noteworthy if I was willing to risk my career.”

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State Supreme Court Justice John Pearce said in a statement that posts made by Kwan on Facebook and LinkedIn in 2016 and 2017 violated the judicial code of conduct and diminished “the reputation of our entire judiciary.”

One of the posts mentioned Trump’s “inability to govern and political incompetence,” officials said.

“I don’t have any complaints about it, not really,” Kwan said. “They are defending an institution.”

Like many people after the 2016 election, Kwan felt strongly about the results and said some things “in haste,” Kwan’s attorney Greg Skordas said at the time.

Skordas said he doesn’t know Kwan’s political party but noted the judge was previously reprimanded during his career for comments critical of politicians from both major parties.

Kwan’s political affiliation is unknown because he chooses to keep his voter registration private, officials said.

Kwan has been a justice court judge in the Salt Lake City suburb of Taylorsville since 1998. He was first appointed by elected city officials to a six-year term and was retained in the position by voters.

Kwan believes he is in the right job because he has helped people who come before him, largely misdemeanor cases, violations of ordinances and small claims, he said.

According to his biography, Kwan created a DUI and drug court, which won a governor’s award for reducing drug and alcohol abuse and served on the Utah Judicial Council, the newspaper reported.

He is also the president of the Chinese Railroad Workers Descendants Association, which worked to earn their ancestors proper credit during the recent celebration of the 150th anniversary of the Transcontinental Railroad, officials said.