A New York judge has resigned following an investigation into a Facebook post he made in 2018.

The post featured an image of a noose with the words, “If we want to Make America Great Again we will have to make evil people fear punishment again.”

Kyle Channing leaves his post in the town of Altona, New York, less than two years after taking office.

Though the investigation was made public this week, Mr Canning had already stepped down in June.

Mr Canning said the post, which was shared just six weeks after he took office in 2018, was meant to be pro-capital punishment and not meant as a reference to President Donald Trump‘s campaign slogan “Make America Great Again.”

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REUTERS/Jose Luis Gonzalez JOSE LUIS GONZALEZ Reuters Trump protests: President visits Texas and Ohio after mass shootings El Paso, University Medical Centre President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump greet PFC Glendon Oakley (second right), who saved several lives during the mass shooting in Texas AFP/Getty Trump protests: President visits Texas and Ohio after mass shootings Miami Valley Hospital, Dayton Demonstrators chant as they protest the arrival of President Donald Trump outside Miami Valley Hospital after a mass shooting that occurred in the Oregon District early Sunday morning, Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2019, in Dayton. (AP Photo/John Minchillo) John Minchillo AP Trump protests: President visits Texas and Ohio after mass shootings El Paso, University Medical Centre An anti-Trump demonstrator holds up a placard as police block the area outside the University Medical Center, where U.S. President Donald Trump holds a meeting with first responders in the wake of last weekend's mass shootings at a Walmart store, in El Paso, Texas, U.S., August 7, 2019. 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(AP Photo/John Minchillo) John Minchillo AP Trump protests: President visits Texas and Ohio after mass shootings President Trump greets Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley as he arrives at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base AFP/Getty Trump protests: President visits Texas and Ohio after mass shootings Miami Valley Hospital, Dayton Demonstrators gather to protest the arrival of President Donald Trump outside Miami Valley Hospital after a mass shooting that occurred in the Oregon District early Sunday morning, Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2019, in Dayton, Ohio. Twenty-four-year-old Connor Betts opened fire in Dayton early Sunday, killing several people including his sister, before officers fatally shot him. (AP Photo/John Minchillo) John Minchillo AP Trump protests: President visits Texas and Ohio after mass shootings Dayton Damon Smith presents a message to President Donald Trump beside a makeshift memorial in Dayton AP Trump protests: President visits Texas and Ohio after mass shootings Miami Valley Hospital, Dayton Demonstrators gather in front of an inflatable "Baby Trump" to protest the presidents arrival AP Trump protests: President visits Texas and Ohio after mass shootings Miami Valley Hospital, Dayton Demonstrators gather to protest the arrival of President Donald Trump outside Miami Valley Hospital after a mass shooting that occurred in the Oregon District early Sunday morning, Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2019, in Dayton. President Donald Trump is headed to Dayton and El Paso, Texas on Wednesday to offer a message of healing and unity, but he will be met by unusual hostility in both places by people who fault his own incendiary words as a contributing cause to the mass shootings . (AP Photo/John Minchillo) John Minchillo AP Trump protests: President visits Texas and Ohio after mass shootings El Paso A photo of victim Javier Amir Rodriguez, a 15-year-old sophomore Getty Trump protests: President visits Texas and Ohio after mass shootings Dayton Demonstrators protest the visit of US President Donald Trump to the site of the mass shooting in Dayton, Ohio, on August 7, 2019. - Nine people were killed on August 4 in the city's popular Oregon District. (Photo by Megan JELINGER / AFP)MEGAN JELINGER/AFP/Getty Images MEGAN JELINGER AFP/Getty Trump protests: President visits Texas and Ohio after mass shootings El Paso A message is left for Donald Trump AFP/Getty Trump protests: President visits Texas and Ohio after mass shootings El Paso Signs and flags adorn the makeshift memorial for victims of the shooting that left a total of 22 people dead at the Cielo Vista Mall Walmart, in El Paso, Texas, on August 7, 2019. (Photo by Mark RALSTON / AFP)MARK RALSTON/AFP/Getty Images MARK RALSTON AFP/Getty Trump protests: President visits Texas and Ohio after mass shootings El Paso People hug at the makeshift memorial AFP/Getty Trump protests: President visits Texas and Ohio after mass shootings El Paso People pray at the makeshift memorial AFP/Getty

Speaking to the New York Times, Canning said he is a registered Democrat who does not support President Trump. However, the state Commission on Judicial Conduct found that Mr Channing’s post had undermined the integrity and impartiality expected of his position with its racial and political connotations.

Though Mr Canning may not have meant for the post to have racial undertones, the noose is a potent symbol of historical anti-black violence and racist oppression. According to the NAACP, between 1882-1968 there were more than 4,700 known lynchings in the US and 72.7 per cent of those lynched were black. It is likely that the actual number of lynchings was higher.

This comes at a time when hate crimes against African Americans and other minorities have started to climb, a trend many attributed to Mr Trump’s xenophobic and racist comments. Data shows that racism, sexism, and xenophobia were correlated with support for Donald Trump. A 2018 study found that counties that hosted a Trump campaign rally saw a 226 per cent increase in hate crimes compared to similar counties that did not host a rally.

According to documents obtained by Yahoo News earlier this year, 25 of 46 domestic terror suspects were white supremacists. Nearly 50 per cent of hate crimes in 2017 were motivated by anti-black bias, according to the Department of Justice.

Altona, New York, where Mr Canning served, is a small town of less than 3,000 close to the Canadian border where court is held once a week.

Like many judges in New York state, Mr Canning does not have a formal legal education. He was given five days of training in Albany after being elected to his post.