Topline
Testimony in Kyle Rittenhouse’s double murder trial began Thursday. The jury gave a round of applause for a witness called by defense. Judge Bruce Schroeder instructed the courtroom that the witness be recognized for his military service in Veterans Day. This is the latest act critics claim shows that he favors the defense.
Judge Bruce Schroeder has reprimanded Assistant District Attorney Thomas Binger for his conduct in line with... [+] interrogation of Kyle Rittenhouse on Wednesday at the Kenosha County Courthouse, Kenosha. Sean Krajacic/The Kenosha News/ASSOCIATED PRS
The Key Facts
Schroeder (75) has warned prosecutors throughout the trial by telling Assistant District Attorney Thomas Binger, Wednesday, "Don’t get brazen! After Binger spoke out about Rittenhouse's rights to remain silent before the jury, Schroeder's cell phone rang briefly on Wednesday with the ringtone of Lee Greenwood’s God Bless the U.S.A. Although the judge did not allow prosecutors to call Rittenhouse's victims "victims," he said it was a loaded term. However, he allowed the defense to call them "looters and "arsonists" if they could prove they were. Schroeder asked whether the prosecution might be distorting the evidence by showing an iPad video while pinching to zoom in. This was after the defense falsely claimed that the pinch-to–zoom feature could cause artificial intelligence programming to distort original video. Schroeder demanded a break in Wednesday's trial after Rittenhouse collapsed on the witness stand. This was dismissed by many left-leaning activists as fake emotion. Forbes reached out to Schroeder for comment but he did not respond.
What to Watch
After Binger asked why Rittenhouse chose to keep silent on the case, defense attorneys filed a motion for dismissal with prejudice. Furious, Schroeder told Binger that the right to remain silent was "basic law" and added that he didn’t know what Binger was doing by giving such a statement before the jury. Rittenhouse's defense claimed it was "prosecutorial overload" and demanded a mistrial. Schroeder stated that he would consider the motion "under advicement" and could grant it at anytime. A mistrial without prejudice would mean that the case cannot be tried again by prosecutors, and Kyle Rittenhouse would go free.
Important Quote
When asked about Schroeder’s courtroom tendencies, Michael Cicchini, a Kenosha-based criminal defense attorney, said, "For a jury trial, if he gets you, you are happy as defense attorney."
Important Background
The politically charged trial has been closely monitored across the country. Conservatives are backing Rittenhouse who claims that he fired his rifle in self defense. Left-leaning supporters call for Rittenhouse's conviction. On August 25, 2020, Rittenhouse shot and killed Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, and Anthony Huber, 26. The incident occurred amid rioting after a Kenosha officer shot Jacob Blake (a 29-year old Black man) in the back. This left him paralyzed. Right-wing figures such as Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, (R-Ga.), have publicly defended Rittenhouse. Greene tweeted Thursday that Rittenhouse shot and killed two protesters in Kenosha on August 25, 2020. This was amid rioting in the city after a Kenosha policeman shot Jacob Blake, a 29-year-old Black man, in the back on August 23, leaving him paralyzed.
Tangent
Schroeder was seen behind the bench flipping through a cookie catalogue on Tuesday.
Continue reading
The Washington Post: As the Kyle Rittenhouse trial draws to a close, judges' decisions from the bench are under scrutiny
Kyle Rittenhouse Tears as He Describes Shooting, Testimony Halted (Forbes).
LeBron James vs. Marjorie Taylor Greene - The Wild Politics with The Rittenhouse Trial (Forbes).
After an angry reprimand from the prosecution, Kyle Rittenhouse judge is in the spotlight (The Guardian).
