Kyle Rittenhouse Judge Says People He Shot And Killed Can Be Called ‘Rioters’ But Not ‘Victims’

Antioch Police Department

October 27, 2021, 8:04 am

A judge who forbids prosecutors from referring to people as “victims” at trial because the term is too loaded has given the okay for Kyle Rittenhouse’s lawyers to refer to the men he shot and killed as rioters or looters.

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Kenosha County Circuit Judge Bruce Schroeder made the decision during the pre-trial hearing earlier this week.

“Let the evidence show what the evidence shows, that any or one of these people were engaged in arson, rioting or looting, then I’m not going to tell the defense they can’t call them that,” he said.

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Supporters of Rittenhouse, who killed two people and wounded another after crossing state lines with a gun to interfere with a Black Lives Matter protest, have long insisted that he was simply defending himself, while critics say roaming around the city with a gun and shooting unarmed protestors multiple times is hardly self-defense.

Thomas Binger, the assistant district attorney, has argued that Rittenhouse didn’t witness any arson or looting by his victims and therefore calling them that offers up a loaded term that creates a bias in the teen’s favor, while the double standard of not allowing the people he factually shot to be referred to as victims.

“Two of them can’t defend themselves…because the defendant killed them,” he said. “And it’s unduly prejudicial for the jury to be told about any of those things.”

Schroeder clearly disagreed, and his ruling is already causing people to be prepared for Rittenhouse to walk free following a trial stacked unfairly in his favor.

Kyle Rittenhouse crossed state lines and murdered two peaceful protesters. And the judge won’t even allow attorneys to call the deceased “victims.”

Something tells me not to expect the world’s fairest trial.

— Bryan Behar (@bryanbehar) October 26, 2021

Rittenhouse’s victims, who are dead and can’t defend themselves, have been put on trial—without hearing—by a judge and deemed guilty of the crimes of (1) riot, (2) theft and (3) arson. Meanwhile Rittenhouse—who agrees he killed people—gets to pretend it was a “victim”-less crime. https://t.co/8OdG4YlxX3

— Seth Abramson (@SethAbramson) October 26, 2021

If we look more into the judge in this case, we’ll find he’s not an impartial tribunal

— 𝐄𝐱𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐫 𝐏𝐨𝐩𝐞 (@exavierpope) October 26, 2021

Sounds like someone needs a vocabulary lesson:

Victim: a person harmed, injured, or killed as a result of a crime, accident, or other event

Reminds me of the Orwellian adage that we are all equal; some of us are just more equal than others

Words matterhttps://t.co/Xcv5o8rMpv

— Lindy Li (@lindyli) October 26, 2021

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If the prosecution can’t call them victims, then it means Rittenhouse must be innocent. You can’t have a homicide w/o a victim. So the judge has already nixed the prosecutor’s homicide charge.

— Dimitri 1821 (@Dimitri_Anastas) October 27, 2021

The people murdered by Kyle Rittenhouse should ONLY be referred to as “victims,” and Kyle Rittenhouse should only be referred to as a murderer.

It’s not complicated.

— BrooklynDad_Defiant! (@mmpadellan) October 26, 2021

We should all have someone who looks at us the way law enforcement and judges look at Kyle Rittenhouse.

— NoelCaslerComedy (@caslernoel) October 26, 2021

Rittenhouse crossed state lines to go to Kenosha. Why wasn’t this a federal prosecution?

— Tristan Snell (@TristanSnell) October 27, 2021

And the judgement of Schroeder himself is being heavily called into question.

Kyle Rittenhouse is a murderer. This judge is a corrupt racist and the two victims he killed deserve justice.

— Lance Cooper (@lmauricecpr) October 26, 2021

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Judge Schroeder must be removed from the Kyle Rittenhouse case. He has proven that he cannot be impartial and is presuming the victims to be guilty.#RemoveJudgeSchroeder Let’s get it trending, Twitter.

— CajunBlueAZ (@CajunBlueAZ1) October 27, 2021

BREAKING NEWS: In the middle of trial, Kyle Rittenhouse’s judge “jokingly” holds up a white supremacist symbol downplays the Proud Boys, and defends young racists who join Nazi gangs, saying that some people “have to.” RT IF YOU THINK THAT THE JUDGE MUST BE REMOVED FROM THE CASE!

— Occupy Democrats (@OccupyDemocrats) October 27, 2021

If you are as appalled as I am that the judge in Kyle Rittenhouse’s case:
—Said that the 2 people he *murdered* cannot be referred to as “victims”
—Said prosecutors could not mention Rittenhouse’s ties to the proud boys
—“Jokingly” made a white supremacist hand gesture in court pic.twitter.com/03P4IABrlw

— Andrew Wortman (@AmoneyResists) October 27, 2021

Schroeder has run unopposed for ~18 years and has an empty campaign finance history. No transactions on record to or by him in the system at all despite records going back 26 years (at least 4 election cycles)

— Savvy☭ (@sleepisocialist) October 27, 2021

Rittenhouse:
•Killed 2 people w/an illegally procured firearm—Judge gave parole
•Violated parole—Judge allowed it
•Fraternized w/white supremacists—Judge blocked sharing with jury

Now the people he murdered aren’t victims—but rioters. As the kids say, watch whiteness work. https://t.co/60wCGzVAOX

— Qasim Rashid, Esq. (@QasimRashid) October 26, 2021

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There’s a lengthy thread diving into Schroeder’s history as a judge that doesn’t bode well for his impartiality as well. 

At the very least, all of this is reminding people how important it is to research and vote for judges in local elections. But in terms of how this all ends for Rittenhouse — and the message it will send to other would-be rightwing vigilantes — those who want to see justice carried out aren’t feeling too hopeful.

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*First Published: October 27, 2021, 8:04 am