Yahoo Autos 'How not to be a good judge': Kyle Rittenhouse judge draws new backlash with 'Asian food' joke
A day after he made headlines for erupting in anger at the prosecution in Kyle Rittenhouse's murder trial, Kenosha County Circuit Judge Bruce Schroeder continued to draw attention, criticism and accusations of bias.
On Thursday, the judge sparked backlash by making a quip about "Asian food." And his attempt to honor veterans led the courtroom to applaud a man who appeared to be the only veteran in the room: A witness for the defense.
Schroeder is the longest-serving current judge in Wisconsin. Public records suggest his age is in the mid-70s. He previously garnered national attention and accusations of favor to the defense in late October when he said the people shot by Rittenhouse couldn't be called "victims" during the trial.
Barring the use of "victims" is a regular part of his courtroom practices. But his decision to allow the same people to be called "rioters, looters and arsonists" began a pattern of Rittenhouse's critics blasting the judge as biased and Rittenhouse's supporters celebrating the judge's decisions.
While accusations of bias have mounted during the trial, Kyle Rittenhouse's mom said Thursday she thought the judge was "very fair."
Wendy Rittenhouse told FOX News Channel’s Sean Hannity she had been told by locals that "he doesn't allow no nonsense in his courtroom."
Those comments came as Schroeder's latest controversy gained national attention. On Thursday he attempted a joke in response to an inquiry about a lunch break: “I hope the Asian food isn’t coming ... isn’t on one of those boats along Long Beach Harbor," he said.
The comment seemingly referenced the situation unfolding on the West Coast, where a record-breaking number of cargo ships have waited off the coast of California due to a backup at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.
Critics found the joke offensive.
"The biased judge in the Rittenhouse trial just made a thinly-veiled anti-Asian comment," tweeted Stanford law professor Michele Dauber. "Because all Asian food comes from China like the boats haha what a bigot."
Former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, a Democrat, used the clip to criticize the judge and the judicial system that led him to preside over the trial: "Schroeder has provided an example of how not to be a good judge. The selection system in Wisconsin is also badly flawed," he tweeted.
"They are elected after initial appointment and there is no retirement age. This is why we have intemperate and unfit judges like this all over the country."
