I know this story is a couple of days old, but it is worth a bit of discussion given the fact the trial of Kyle Rittenhouse, the Illinois teenager who crossed state lines into Kenosha, Wisconsin with a loaded weapon and ending up killing two people, is scheduled start on Monday.
Two days ago Bruce Schroder, the presiding judge in the case, ruled that the prosecution could not refer to the victims as victims, but that defense attorneys could refer to the victims as arsonists, looters and rioters.
For his part Rittenhouse is claiming self-defense and Judge Schroder ruled that referring to the people Rittenhouse killed as victims would be prejudicial to the defendant. Now there are some judges who when presiding in self-defense cases do not allow the use of the term victim. This would be fine on its own. But Judge Schroder is allowing the defense to use language which is anything but neutral when it comes to the two people who are dead and cannot defend themselves. By allowing the the defense carte blanche to utilize such dehumanizing and inflammatory language, Judge Schroder has guaranteed Rittenhouse's acquittal before opening arguments have begun.
Should Rittenhouse be acquitted there will be more Kyle Rittenhouses arming themselves going across state lines to kill people while claiming self-defense and more victims who the justice system will not recognize as victims. As for Rittenhouse himself, I believe his acquittal will earn him an invitation to be a keynote speaker at the 2024 Republican National Convention.
No comments:
Post a Comment