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Rittenhouse judge: Media coverage of trial ‘irresponsible’ and ‘frightening’
17 Nov, 2021 19:56
The Wisconsin judge presiding over Kyle Rittenhouse’s murder trial is rethinking whether he will allow future cases to be televised, citing “grossly irresponsible” and “scary” media coverage.
“When I talked about problems with the media when this trial started . . . , we’re there, in part – not fully, but in part – because of grossly irresponsible handling of what comes out of this trial,” Kenosha County Circuit Court Judge Bruce Schroeder told lawyers in the Rittenhouse case on Wednesday.
Schroeder made his comments as jurors began their second day of deliberations over the charges against Rittenhouse, who shot and killed two men and injured a third amid riots during August 2020 Black Lives Matter protests in Kenosha. The defendant, who was 17 at the time of the shootings, testified that he acted in self-defense while rioters were attacking him and trying to take his gun. Prosecutors accused him of instigating the violence by bringing an assault rifle to the BLM protest.
The judge added that he may alter his rules for media access to future trials. “I will tell you this, I’m gonna think long and hard about live television in trial again next time,” Schroeder said. “I don't know, I've always been a firm believer in it because I think the people should be able to see what’s going on, but when I see what’s being done, it is really quite frightening. Frightening, that’s the right word for it.”
Schroeder didn’t specify the media conduct that he was criticizing. The politically charged trial has brought scrutiny over everything from the judge’s phone ringtone to a joke he made regarding the delivery of lunch. Schroeder has been targeted not only with criticism, but also threats of violence against him and his children if Rittenhouse is acquitted. Letters and emails sent to the court have made such statements as “He’s only a judge by day but can be a victim by night.”
Jurors on Wednesday asked Schroeder how they could view videos that were presented as evidence at the trial. The judge said he would allow jurors to view videos in the courtroom and be given only general descriptions.
Mark Richards, a lawyer for Rittenhouse, said again showing high-resolution drone footage that was presented by prosecutors would further taint the jury. He said prosecutors withheld the evidence, giving the defense team only a low-resolution copy of the video that wasn’t the same length as the clip shown at trial. The defense also argued that the video was enhanced using artificial intelligence technology, which made it unfit to present as evidence in court.
The footage was one of several issues that Rittenhouse’s lawyers cited in a motion they filed on Monday to have the charges dismissed with prejudice, meaning the defendant couldn’t be re-indicted. They accused prosecutors of “overreaching” and acting in “bad faith,” such as when Assistant District Attorney Thomas Binger questioned Rittenhouse about why he hadn’t given his account of the shootings prior to trial.
Schroeder, who scolded Binger during the trial, hasn’t ruled on the motion to dismiss.
Rittenhouse judge bans MSNBC from courthouse
18 Nov, 2021 18:00
The Kenosha, Wisconsin judge presiding over the Kyle Rittenhouse trial has banned MSNBC employees from his courthouse, after police caught someone claiming to be a producer with the outlet tailing a jury bus.
“I have instructed that no one from MSNBC news will be permitted in this building, for the duration of this trial,” Judge Bruce Schroeder said on Thursday. Following a jury bus is an “extremely serious matter and will be referred to the proper authorities,” he added.
Schroeder identified by name both the producer and his supervisor in New York, and said the man was detained by Kenosha police on Wednesday night, after he ran a red light in pursuit of a bus transporting the Rittenhouse jury.
Kenosha PD said that a person “alleging to be affiliated with a national media outlet” was “briefly taken into custody and issued several traffic related citations.” They suspect that he was attempting to photograph the jurors, but there was “no breach of security regarding the jury, nor were there any photographs obtained.”
According to MSNBC’s parent company NBC, the man was “a freelancer” whose traffic violation “took place near the jury van,” but the company insisted he “never contacted or intended to contact the jurors during deliberations, and never photographed or intended to photograph them.”
Then why did he run a red light?
"We regret the incident and will fully cooperate with the authorities on any investigation," NBC added.
The jury has been deliberating since Monday evening, under pressure from both national media coverage of the trial and protesters outside the courthouse demanding a conviction.
Rittenhouse, 18, was charged with murder and reckless endangerment for shooting three participants in the August 25, 2020 riot in Kenosha, two of them fatally. His attorneys argued he acted in self-defense and have moved for a mistrial, accusing state attorneys of prosecutorial misconduct in a matter related to video evidence.
Kyle Rittenhouse acquitted of all charges by jury
in Kenosha shootings that killed 2, injured 1
By Ahmar Khan Global News
Posted November 19, 2021 1:08 pm
Kyle Rittenhouse, who fatally shot two men and injured another during a Black Lives Matter protest in Kenosha, Wisc. was acquitted by a jury on Friday.
Both sides wrapped up closing arguments on Monday in a polarizing trial that garnered national and international attention over the issues of gun violence, vigilantism and second-amendment rights.
As the not guilty verdicts were being read out loud, Rittenhouse began visibly shaking and crying. Once all the “not guilty” verdicts had been read, Rittenhouse fell down and then hugged one of his lawyers.
The trial, which began on Nov. 2 and ran until Nov. 15, saw the prosecution argue that Rittenhouse was the provocateur of violence which led to him shooting and killing two people and injuring a third. The defence argued that Rittenhouse was acting in self-defence to escape a mob chasing him.
Rittenhouse, then 17 years old, traveled to Kenosha on Aug. 25, 2020, his lawyer said, to protect property from racial justice protests.
The protests began following the death of Jacob Blake, a Black man who was shot by a white Kenosha police officer on Aug. 23. Rittenhouse and all the victims were white.
The shooting of Blake was the latest police shooting of a Black person in the spring and summer of 2020, which led to social justice protests across the world.
A total of 18 jurors listened to the trial proceedings with 12 ultimately selected randomly to decide Rittenhouse’s verdict. If he were found guilty, Rittenhouse would have faced a mandatory life sentence in prison for first-degree homicide.
Rittenhouse’s lawyers pointed to video evidence that showed 36-year-old Joseph Rosenbaum chasing him, and said 26-year-old Anthony Huber had attempted to attack him, which led to the two fatal shootings.
The defence also argued that 26-year-old Gaige Grosskreutz was not only carrying a gun but had pointed it at Rittenhouse’s head. They added that Rittenhouse was only in Kenosha to protect local businesses from the damage previous days of protests had caused.
Videos showed Rittenhouse attempting to flee and being chased by a crowd including Rosenbaum, who he first shot and killed. Then Rittenhouse shot and killed Huber, who had swung a skateboard at him. Finally, Grosskreutz is seen on video moving towards Rittenhouse with his hands in the air while holding a gun. Rittenhouse’s team argued that Grosskreutz had pointed the gun in the vicinity of their client before Rittenhouse shot him in the arm.
In Rittenhouse’s testimony, the now 18-year-old struggled to get through sentences and broke down crying in front of the jury. On the stand, Rittenhouse reiterated his stance that he was only protecting himself whenever pressed by the prosecution.
The prosecution relied on showcasing Rittenhouse as the aggressor. They noted that it was Rittenhouse who pointed a weapon at a largely unarmed crowd and escalated tensions. The county attorney said Rittenhouse created a sense of fear and intimidation amongst protestors that in turn led them to feel a need to disarm him or face serious consequences. They added that by aiming his AR-15 at people in the crowd, Rittenhouse had effectively lost the right to self-defence.
Judge Bruce Schroeder, who presided over the Rittenhouse trial, became one of the major talking points throughout the two weeks of proceedings. The veteran judge offered long explanations of his interjections and reasonings of how he arrived at a decision. Another time, Schroeder ordered those in the courtroom to give one of the witnesses, a veteran, a round of applause for their service. And as the jury was being selected, Schroeder allowed Rittenhouse to blindly draw the names of the jurors, which is normally done by the judge.
After the verdict was read, Schroeder complimented the jurors prior to giving them the notice of their obligation to the media.
“I couldn’t have asked for a better jury to work for,” he said.
“Without commenting on the verdicts themselves, just in terms of the attentiveness and cooperation you gave to us.”
Schroeder told the jury that there are a number of media requests to speak to jurors but there is no obligation ever to speak about any aspect of the case with anyone. He advised the jury that if they need support or if there are threats of violence, they should get in touch with the court.
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers has asked for calm and said 500 National Guards are on standby if the situation turns violent in Kenosha.
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