A Canadian judge could face punishment for wearing a "Make America Great Again" hat in his courtroom the day after President Trump won.

Justice Bernd Zabel appeared before a disciplinary panel Wednesday, defending the incident as a joke and not a political statement, according to The New York Times.

The Ontario Judicial Council received more than 80 complaints about it.

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“I’m not a racist. I’m not a bigot. I’m not a misogynist,” Zabel reportedly said during the hearing. The council is expected to decide in the next few weeks whether to take action; one option is recommending Zabel be removed from his seat.

The day after President Trump was elected, Zabel wore the hat into his courtroom, saying it was "just in celebration of a historic night in the United States." He removed it shortly but left it on his desk.

He later told a court official that he wore the hat because he thought it would bother other judges, who he thought supported Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham ClintonJoe Biden looks to expand election battleground into Trump country Biden leads Trump by 12 points among Catholic voters: poll The Hill's Campaign Report: Biden goes on offense MORE in the U.S. election.

“I was the only Trump supporter up there, but that’s okay," he reportedly said.

Zabel has had his position for 27 years. The Times noted he has been involved in controversy before, including one case last year where he asked a rape complainant why she had not kept her knees together.

Trump used "Make America Great Again" as his campaign slogan throughout 2015 and 2016, and hats bearing the phrase became an iconic sign of support for him.