Liberals have been in meltdown mode claiming Wisconsin Judge Bruce Schroeder, who is presiding over the Kyle Rittenhouse murder trial, is biased in favor of the defendant.
But his conduct and rulings in the trial are consistent with those he’s made in the past, according to attorneys who have appeared in his courtroom.
At the top of the silly liberal complaints about Schroeder’s bias is that his phone’s ringtone is Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the USA.”
‘”God Bless the USA’ is the opening song played at every Trump rally,” tweeted author Mikel Jollett after the judge’s phone rang during the hearing Wednesday.
“God Bless the USA” is the opening song played at every Trump rally.
Lee Greenwood literally sang it at Trump’s inauguration.
It is the ringtone of the judge in the Kyle Rittenhouse murder trial. https://t.co/HpqpTj56ud
— Mikel Jollett (@Mikel_Jollett) November 10, 2021
Similarly, left-wing independent journalist Aaron Rupar noted the song is played at Trump rallies, adding, “Draw your own conclusions.”
Democratic operative Jon Cooper tweeted, “BREAKING: Judge Schroeder’s cellphone ringtone was audible during the trial — and it was ‘God Bless the USA’ — the same song Trump plays on stage at his rallies… Retweet if he needs to be REPLACED for showing BIAS that favors the Defense?”
BREAKING: Judge Schroeder’s cellphone ringtone was audible during the trial – and it was “God Bless the USA” – the same song Trump plays on stage at his rallies…
Retweet if he needs to be REPLACED for showing BIAS that favors the Defense? ✋
— Jon Cooper 🇺🇸 (@joncoopertweets) November 10, 2021
Of course, another explanation for the ringtone could be that Schroeder, 75, simply likes the 1984 hit song.
And what if he did vote for or likes former President Donald Trump? Does that make him somehow biased against justice being done in the case?
Doubtful.
Liberal judges tend to be the ones willing who bend the law to their desired social justice outcomes.
Another complaint against Schroeder is that he did not allow the prosecution to refer to the two people killed and the other injured as “victims,” saying it is a “loaded” term.
He asked for terms like “decedents” or “complaining witnesses” to be used instead.
But as attorney Michael Cicchini, who has been practicing law in Kenosha before Schroeder for two decades, explained to The Washington Post, “That’s been a rule in his courtroom since Day One.”
“Whether the person is a victim is the very thing the prosecution has to prove,” he added.
Critics like CNN’s Chris Cuomo also do not like the way Schroeder has upbraided the prosecution at times during the trial.
One instance is when he told Assistant District Attorney Thomas Binger on Wednesday, “Don’t get brazen with me,” when the prosecutor tried to justify bringing in evidence the judge had already ruled was inadmissible.
‘Don’t get brazen with me,’ Kyle Rittenhouse trial Judge Bruce Schroeder yelled at prosecutor Thomas Binger, with the jury out of the room. Schroeder accused Binger of trying to introduce testimony that he had earlier ruled would not be allowed https://t.co/3bo4MN5oCM pic.twitter.com/GtJaNwGMOD
— Reuters (@Reuters) November 11, 2021
Schroeder also laid into Binger for questioning Rittenhouse, 18, about his post-arrest silence, which is a right guaranteed by the Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
“The problem is this is a grave constitutional violation for you to talk about the defendant’s silence,” Schroeder said. “You’re right on the borderline, and you may be over, but it better stop.”
Judge Scolding The Prosecution In The Rittenhouse Case
“The problem is this is a grave constitutional violation for you to talk about the Defendant’s silence.”
“You are right on the borderline, you may be over. It better stop.” pic.twitter.com/OVK9eYOSSm
— The Columbia Bugle 🇺🇸 (@ColumbiaBugle) November 10, 2021
Criminal defense lawyer Chris Rose — who told the Post he has appeared before Schroeder “hundreds of times” — says the judge tends to be “more pro-defense than pro-prosecution in trial.”
Further, “The rulings he has made so far are consistent with what he has done in the past.”
CNN legal analyst Laura Coates offered additional perspective, saying it is common for prosecutors to take tongue lashings from judges as the attorneys try to push the jury toward a guilty verdict.
Another attorney who asked not to be named because he still practices law Schroeder’s courtroom described him to CNN as “old school.”
Do you think Rittenhouse should be found not guilty?
“That doesn’t mean that he’s old. I mean he’s 75 years old, which is older than most judges, but he’s just an old-school guy. He still operates his courtroom like it’s 1980,” the lawyer said.
The hallmark of the American criminal justice is that a defendant is innocent until proven guilty, and truthfully, if any of us were on trial, we’d want a judge actively making sure that presumption is upheld just like Schroeder has.
