Kenosha County Circuit Judge Bruce Schroeder is the longest serving current judge in Wisconsin . He’s also becoming a polarizing national figure for his early decisions …
Kenosha County Circuit Judge Bruce Schroeder is the longest serving current judge in Wisconsin. He’s also becoming a polarizing national figure for his early decisions in the trial of Kyle Rittenhouse. Schroeder,75, said Monday the people shot by Rittenhouse could not be called „victims“ — a term he routinely bans in his trials unless someone has been convicted of a crime against the person. But after Schroeder also didn’t ban defense lawyers from calling the men „looters, rioters, arsonists or any other pejorative term,“ national scrutiny followed. Rittenhouse will go on trial next week for shooting three people, two fatally, during a protest against police brutality last year in Kenosha, about 40 miles southeast of Milwaukee. Coverage of Schroeder’s early decisions has prompted a deeper look at his long career. He was appointed a circuit judge in 1983 by then-Gov. Anthony Earl. He has been re-elected to the seat ever since, making him the longest-serving active circuit judge in the state. His current term expires in 2026. During his tenure, he has presided overother high-profile trials, including a major reversal in one of them. He also prompted controversy recently after he quoted a racial slur, a moment caught on camera during online streaming of court proceedings last year. In that controversy, Schroeder was discussing news about protests over statues of Confederate military figures when he said he could understand anger directed at Lt. General Nathan Bedford Forrest. Schroeder quoted an order given by Forrest to kill Black people, which included the slur.
