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Semantics

Prior to the start of the trial, Schroeder barred prosecutors from describing the three men shot by Rittenhouse as \"victims,\" explaining it's a loaded word and that no one is considered a victim in a court of law until it's proven. On the other hand, he allowed defense attorneys to call the men shot by Rittenhouse \"looters\" and \"rioters\" as long as it was supported by evidence.

Tasteless joke

On just the third day of the trial, Schroeder booted a juror from the case after the panelist acknowledged he told a tasteless joke to a sheriff deputy. The juror said his ill-attempt at humor was about a Kenosha police officer shooting Jacob Blake, a 29-year-old Black man, in August 2020. Blake was paralyzed in the incident, which sparked days of violent protests in Kenosha that led to the shootings Rittenhouse committed.

\"PHOTO:
Sean Krajacic/Pool via Reuters
PHOTO: Judge Bruce Schroeder makes a last-minute change to how jury instructions would be received by the jury during Kyle Rittenhouse's trial at the Kenosha County Courthouse, Wis., Nov. 15, 2021.
>

Juror drawing

Rittenhouse was allowed to randomly select six of 18 jurors from a metal raffle drum after a clerk spun it with the crank of a handle. Those six were designated as alternates, while the remaining 12 were instructed to deliberate a verdict. Schroeder later explained that this was standard practice in his courtroom.

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