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The Kyle Rittenhouse murder case took a riveting explosive turn Wednesday when Rittenhouse decided to testify, then broke down in tears on the witness stand, during direct examination–before the biased judge interrupted Rittenhouse’s cross-examination and forcefully reprimanded the prosecutor.
This judge may as well be on the Rittenhouse’s defense team.
Judge Bruce Schroeder, who stated at the beginning of this trial that the victims could be called “arsonists,” “looters,” or “rioters,” but not “victims,” ferociously attacked Assistant district attorney Thomas Binger for allegedly committing a “grave constitutional violation.”
Schroeder also signaled to the defense that he would consider a mistrial, with prejudice, which means Rittenhouse would not be able to be prosecuted again. Not surprisingly, after the lunch break, Rittenhouse’s lawyers entered just such a motion for mistrial.
Judge Schroeder now says he is considering that mistrial motion.
Regardless of whether prosecutor Binger violated an earlier ruling, Judge Schroeder’s behavior Wednesday was abominable. It is also a quite telling example of the necessary work which remains to be done to clean up America’s corrupt criminal justice system. Judge Schroeder’s berating of this prosecutor is further evidence of his unfitness to be a judge. How would this disgrace to the legal profession be behaving if there were no cameras in this courtroom? How can these media talking heads, and analysts, think that his conduct was acceptable, regardless of whether or not the prosecutor was in error in his line of questioning?
This judge is once again tipping the scales of justice in the direction of Rittenhouse. Why did Judge Schroeder behave so badly today?
At issue today was Binger’s attempt to impeach Rittenhouse’s testimony that he only approves of using deadly force in a self-defense situation, which Rittenhouse said under cross-examination. Binger tried to introduce statements from a video where Rittenhouse apparently said “Bro, I wish I had my fucking AR. I’d start shooting rounds at them,” a reference to unarmed protesters who were allegedly looting.
The judge had ruled earlier against entering the video supposedly because it was prejudicial. The prosecutor said he thought the door was opened to using this evidence because Rittenhouse testified that he believed deadly force could only be used in self-defense situations.
However, Judge Schroeder erupted in fury, not only on this particular matter, but criticized Binger on how he started his cross-examination of Rittenhouse regarding his post-arrest silence. Schroeder said, “I was astonished when you began your examination by commenting on the defendant’s post-arrest silence. That’s basic law. It’s been basic law in this country for 40 or 50 years … I don’t know what you’re up to.”
We should all be more concerned with what Judge Schroeder is up to.
Rittenhouse’s direct testimony Wednesday was heralded by many white commentators who say he seemed credible. Indeed, Rittenhouse seemed well coached in his answers to his defense attorney.
However, he became a bumbling fool under cross-examination and was clearly giving evasive answers–when he wasn’t clearly lying.
Many talked about how Rittenhouse went to Kenosha to clean graffiti, help people, protect property, etc. Listening to some folks, you would think Rittenhouse was such a well-behaved law-abiding boy.
But for all the flack, district attorney Thomas Binger got–whether deserved or not–it should also be said that he exposed Rittenhouse on several key points, and showed him to be a serial liar including about his age and being an EMT, among other things.
Binger also got Rittenhouse to admit that he regularly drove without having a driver’s license, and of course, Rittenhouse was not eighteen when he was driving without a license–just like he was not eighteen when he illegally carried an assault rifle from his home in Antioch, Illinois to Kenosha, Wisconsin. Binger correctly pointed out that Rittenhouse had no business being out, under a curfew, with an illegal gun in another state.
And, many white people want to ignore the main fact in this case: this white murderer was in possession of a gun when he was still underage–and used that gun to kill two people. It goes without saying we wouldn’t be hearing all these white privilege excuses for Rittenhouse if he was Black.
What was also appalling today was all the legal minds who were so touched by Rittenhouse’s emotional crying on the stand as he talked about his shooting of one of his victims: Joseph Rosenbaum. We are told some jurors looked at Rittenhouse with sympathy.
Many of our television pundits are now speaking with similar sympathy toward Rittenhouse. Somehow, they too have forgotten that the real victims here are the two dead men: Joseph Rosenbaum, Anthony Huber, and wounded EMT Gaige Grosskreutz. But only in America can we expect to see sympathy for a trigger-happy killer. In this case, it is because Rittenhouse’s victims are considered bad white people who should not have been protesting police violence, such as the back-shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha.
Rittenhouse is now basically home free, despite the fact that many of his lies were exposed by the prosecution, because Judge Bruce Schroeder has showed his bias from the very beginning of this trial. Many of the legal analysts who are now blaming prosecutor Thomas Binger for his possible missteps are acting as if this blatantly biased judge has handled himself above reproach.
When Rittenhouse is acquitted, or given the benefit of a mistrial with prejudice, Judge Schroeder’s conduct should be fully examined, perhaps by the Department of Justice, who should then look into perhaps prosecuting Kyle Rittenhouse.
