'His word is final.' Judge in Kyle Rittenhouse trial is viewed as tough jurist
CNN
Judge Bruce Schroeder's decision to not allow prosecutors to refer to people as "victims" sparked debate and, in some cases, outrage in legal circles. The longest serving active judge in Wisconsin's trial courts was again thrust into the spotlight.
At the same time, Kenosha County Circuit Court Judge Bruce Schroeder said at a pretrial hearing that the men who were shot could be described as "looters" or "rioters" if the defense can show they engaged in such activity during protests after a police officer shot Jacob Blake in August 2020, leaving Blake paralyzed.
"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," Schroeder said in a closely watched pretrial hearing a week before the start of jury selection on Monday.