Image of Judge Bruce Schroeder last week during the trial of Kyle Rittenhouse.
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Image of Judge Bruce Schroeder last week during the trial of Kyle Rittenhouse.
Pool / Getty Images
Even for those who have never stepped foot in a Wisconsin courtroom, it was clear that from the very moment jury selection began, Judge Bruce Schroeder – the judge presiding over the country’s most senior criminal trial. state for many years – will prove memorable.
As the cameras turned on and the live-streamed event began the first moments of the highly watched criminal trial for Kyle Rittenhouse, who was charged with 18-year-old murder after fatally shooting two people in a condition unrest last year in Kenosha, Wis. – the judge played Jeopardy with potential jurors.
“Alphabet City for 600,” says Schroeder. “I”: It’s the only major city that straddles two continents, Asia and Europe. After one juror answered correctly (“Istanbul”), Schroeder followed up: “Okay, can you sing the song?” he said, causing a burst of laughter.
As the Rittenhouse trial has progressed in the weeks since, Schroeder has alternately drawn cheers and criticism from legal experts and other observers of the trial. While some of his actions are unimportant, others – including the lead prosecutor’s strong warning last week – could be important to the outcome of the trial.
“I think what surprises people are some…small quirks, maybe, that they’re not used to seeing in judges. There are all kinds of personalities sitting on the bench, all over the place. country,” said Julius Kim, a defense attorney and former prosecutor based in Milwaukee, who appeared before Schroeder.
A meaningless judge
At 75, Schroeder is the longest-running circuit judge in Wisconsin. He was first appointed in 1983 by a Democratic governor, and has won consecutively since then, often not running for office.
He has a reputation for being no-nonsense on the bench, but also very approachable, lawyers in Wisconsin say. He tells a lot of stories, and he focuses a lot on lunch.
With the test streamed live on TV and internet streams, viewers across the country were able to get a close-up look at Schroeder in action.
One day, Schroeder’s cell phone rang with Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless The USA”. On the other hand, he quotes Chaucer when he says, “I do have a rule to be respected when broken” (even though that line is actually Shakespeare’s word). Hamlet).
Some onlookers cringed as Schroeder struggled, as did attorneys and witnesses, to discuss Apple’s “pinch-to-zoom” feature and image-enlarging algorithms after the attorneys argued. protest a drone video enlarged and enhanced by a state crime lab for prosecutors.
Last week, Schroeder was criticized for a joke that some found racist about delaying lunch in court – he said he hoped Asian food “wasn’t on one of the that boat in the Port of Long Beach.”
Chris Zachar, a defense attorney based in La Crosse, Wis, said: “Obviously he put his foot in his mouth several times. be perceived. “
Critics say he’s been too hard on prosecutors
Some, especially those on the left, have accused Schroeder of bias, pointing to some decisions in favor of the defense and the lead prosecutor’s warning in a heated moment last week. . The judge defended the jury and then raised his voice to prosecutor Thomas Binger that his questions threatened to revoke Rittenhouse’s right to remain silent.
Despite the criticism, some legal experts say they believe the punishment is appropriate.
“The state has crossed the line with their line of questioning,” Zachar said. “It’s black-letter law. It’s 101 law school.”
Schroeder was also criticized before the trial began when he ruled that prosecutors cannot consider those shot by Rittenhouse as “victims”. – “a full word,” he said – while allowing defense attorneys to call them “arsonists” and “plunderers”, as long as they can prove those people were involved in the crimes. that activity.
Julius Kim, Milwaukee-based defense attorney and former prosecutor, who appeared before Schroeder, said: “Regarding his legal rulings, I don’t see that he really favors the party. this or that too much.
He wants the public to believe in the results
At times, Schroeder acknowledges the intense public attention that is pouring into his courtroom, and tries to remove bias from the proceedings.
“I wouldn’t mess with a big case like this,” he said ahead of Monday’s jury instructions, warning jurors not to “pay attention” to anyone’s opinion. any other, “even the President of the United States, or the president before him.”
During the first week of testimony, he dismissed a juror for making a crude joke about Jacob Blake, the 29-year-old Black man shot dead by police who sparked unrest in Kenosha, saying “the public needs to trust that this is a trial. equal.”
In the US judicial system, a defendant must be presumed innocent until they are found guilty. Although legal experts differ on whether they believe Schroeder fulfilled all of the claims correctly – some say judges should protect defendants’ rights.
“This is a case that raises a lot of issues of public concern – gun rights, police officers’ use of force – and it means people are paying attention to what’s going on. out in the courtroom and the manner in which conversations are taking place,” said Cecelia Klingele, a law professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
The jury began deliberation on Tuesday. A verdict is expected any day.
Additional reporting of Wisconsin Public Radio by Corrinne Hess.
