Closing Arguments in Rittenhouse Trial Expected Monday

The judge in the murder trial of Kyle Rittenhouse told jurors that closing arguments and jury instructions in the trial are expected Monday.

Each side will have 2½ hours for their closing arguments.

Rittenhouse, 18, shot two people and wounded a third during unrest on the night of Aug. 25, 2021, in Kenosha, Wisconsin. His attorneys said he acted in self-defense, while prosecutors have painted him as an instigator.

Rittenhouse's attorneys on Wednesday filed a motion asking for a mistrial, arguing the prosecution had twice improperly questioned Rittenhouse on cross-examination. Schroeder rebuked Assistant District Attorney Thomas Binger for a ''grave constitutional violation'' after Binger asked Rittenhouse about his decision to stay silent after the deadly shooting.

"I was astonished when you began your examination by commenting on the defendant's post-arrest silence," Schroeder said. "That's basic law. It's been basic law in this country for 40 or 50 years. ... I don't know what you're up to."

The judge added: "You're an experienced trial lawyer, and this should not have been gone into."

Schroeder, 75, is viewed as ''a tough jurist,'' according to CNN.

"His word is final, and he's not afraid to make tough decisions," said Dan Adams, a Wisconsin criminal defense lawyer and former prosecutor.

"He has a reputation for doing what he believes is the right thing and being an independent thinker," said William Lynch, a retired attorney who served on the board of the ACLU of Wisconsin.

"And it's his courtroom. He doesn't like to be pushed around by either party. So he has a strong sense of his own his bearing in the courtroom."

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