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Rittenhouse Acquittal Reaffirms of the Ancient Right of Self Defense
By James S. Robbins[NYSun] The acquittal of Kyle Rittenhouse on charges of killing two persons and wounding a third during the riots in Kenosha, Wisconsin, will likely go down in history as a broad reaffirmation in America of the ancient right to self defense. Mr. Rittenhouse was ordered by Judge Bruce Schroeder to stand and face the verdict shortly after noon. He stood solemnly, his hands crossed in front of him, until the pronouncement of not guilty on the third charge, when he began to weep. As the fifth acquittal was announced, he collapsed. The verdict was brought in by a jury that — apparently — was uncowed by threats of violence and more riots should it acquit the 18-year-old who had come to Kenosha with a semi-automatic rifle and been pursued by rioters. Mr. Rittenhouse’s actions were caught on video tape that apparently played a role in convincing jurors he acted in self defense. The video evidence made plain that Mr. Rittenhouse was in a chaotic situation and under physical threat and seemed, prima facie, to undermine the prosecution’s attempts to cast as beyond a reasonable doubt the idea that Mr. Rittenhouse had committed murder. During the trial, Mr. Rittenhouse gave lengthy testimony in his own defense. An effort by the prosecution to suggest that Mr. Rittenhouse’s bearing a weapon in Kenosha was in and of itself a provocation. That notion apparently had little impact on the jury. A misdemeanor charge against Mr. Rittenhouse for carrying the rifle was dropped by the judge during the trial when it turned out the barrel length of the gun he was carrying made it legal. The trial had been marked by controversy. Judge Schroeder was criticized for not allowing the persons Mr. Rittenhouse shot to be described as “victims,” noting that this would tend to prejudice the case against the defendant. Judge Schroeder himself criticized press coverage of the trial, calling it “really quite frightening.” He was upset at personal attacks on himself, and on the lawyers on both sides. An MSNBC producer was arrested for a traffic incident while trailing a bus carrying the jurors, and Mr. Schroeder banned the network from the courtroom. Read the rest at the link Posted by: badanov 2021-11-20 |
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