And why are these bureaucrats obsessed with a perception of fairness for Donald Trump
Because they want to make sure that their judgements stick. Trump has a lot of political power, and enough money to get a legal team that can find every single undotted i and uncrossed t, and use that to appeal anything. (Or, he would, if he would actually pay his attorneys, instead of stiffing them on legal bills. So what he actually has is incompetent hacks.) So a smart judge makes sure that they’re not doing anything that could be a reversible error.
Because they want to make sure that their judgements stick. Trump has a lot of political power, and enough money to get a legal team that can find every single undotted i and uncrossed t, and use that to appeal anything. (Or, he would, if he would actually pay his attorneys, instead of stiffing them on legal bills. So what he actually has is incompetent hacks.) So a smart judge makes sure that they’re not doing anything that could be a reversible error.
These repeated failures by the judge to enforce the rules within the court will not fortify the result of the decision on appeal.