EXPLAINER: Raffle drum will set final 12 Rittenhouse jurors
The judge in Kyle Rittenhouse’s murder trial will use a raffle drum that sat in the courtroom throughout the two-week trial to select the names of alternate jurors who will be dismissed from the pool of 18 to get to the final 12 who will decide the case
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The judge in Kyle Rittenhouse s murder trial will use a raffle drum that sat in the courtroom throughout the two-week trial to select the names of alternate jurors who were dismissed from the pool of 18 to get to the final 12 who will decide the case.
Schroeder told jurors last week that he would select as many names as necessary from the tumbler Tuesday to go from 18 down to 12. The pool had started at 20, but one juror was dismissed for health reasons and another was let go after he told a joke related to the case to a bailiff.
The jury was to begin deliberations on Tuesday after closing arguments consumed the full day Monday.
Rittenhouse faces a myriad of charges after he killed two protesters and injured a third on the streets of Kenosha last summer. The protests were spurred by the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man.
Rittenhouse, who was 17 at the time, argues he acted in self-defense. The most serious charge before jurors could put Rittenhouse in prison for the rest of his life.
Schroeder, 75, is the longest-serving circuit court judge in Wisconsin. His methods have drawn attention throughout the trial, including reading trivia questions to jurors at the outset, professing his lack of knowledge about modern technology, asking for applause to recognize a defense witness who served in the military and sometimes speaking angrily at prosecutors when they pursued lines of questioning he had barred.