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from: KATHLEEN FOODY, Associated Press
Posted: 11/11/2021 / 6:13 PM CST
Updated: 11/11/2021 / 6:28 PM CST
Judge Bruce E. Schroeder examines photographic enlargements during a dispute over the reliability of enlarged digital images during the trial of Kyle Rittenhouse at the Kenosha County Courthouse in Kenosha, Wis., Thursday, November 11, 2021. Rittenhouse is accused of killing two people and a third was injured in a protest against police brutality in Kenosha last year. (Mark Hertzberg / pool photo via AP)
As the jurors sat in their seats in the courtroom in the Kyle Rittenhouse murder trial, Judge Bruce Schroeder greeted them and noted the Veterans Day holiday.
The longtime judge then asked if any of the jurors or others had served in the courtroom. Only one person said he had it: the man who was about to testify in support of Rittenhouse’s defense.
“Which branch?” Schroeder asked Force of Force expert John Black.
“Army, sir,” said Black.
“I think we’re going to give the people who have served our country a round of applause,” said Schroeder, leading the room, including the jury, to applause.
Black then took the stand and testified that less than three seconds had elapsed between the firing of an aerial shot by a protester and the opened Rittenhouse with his rifle.
For some trial observers, Schröder’s opening was a clear mistake that could have swayed the jury’s opinion about a defense witness at the expense of the prosecution’s already shaky case.
But other observers shrugged and suggested that prosecutors would have served best to let the moment pass without objection.
Steven Wright, a professor at the University of Wisconsin School of Law, called the moment a mistake. Schroeder, making Black’s military service clear to the jury, risked making him more believable in their eyes, Wright said.
However, regardless of the outcome of this process, the topic is unlikely to be examined.
If the jury finds Rittenhouse not guilty, there is likely no appeal. If found guilty, Schroeder’s mistake could only be viewed as an aid to Rittenhouse and not an argument for the appeal, Wright said.
Rittenhouse’s attorney also asked Black about his professional background during his testimony, and Black spoke briefly about his military service.
Schroeder, who wore a tie adorned with American flags on Thursday and whose phone ringtone in court was the Lee Greenwood ode to patriotism “God Bless the USA”, has already selected veterans. He called for veterans applause at the jury selection last week as he compared the solemnity of jury duty to the seriousness of being called up. He also thanked the Marines during Wednesday’s court session, and when a courtroom officer said he was a Marine, Schroeder called for more applause.
The high level of public interest in the Rittenhouse case has meant more scrutiny for Schroeder, a colorful judge who passed the time before the jury was selected by testing the knowledge of the jury.
During Thursday’s lunch break, he raised more eyebrows with a casual remark when setting a time for the court to resume when he said, “Let’s hope for 1am, I don’t know, uh, hope the Asian food? isn’t coming, it’s not on one of those boats in Long Beach Harbor. “
Some social media users took the comment, an obvious indication of a cargo ship traffic jam on the west coast, as questionable at best and racist at worst.
Schroeder did not immediately respond to an email request for comments on Thursday afternoon.
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For full AP coverage of the Kyle Rittenhouse trial, please visit: https://apnews.com/hub/kyle-rittenhouse
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