The judge in the Kyle Rittenhouse homicide trial is facing backlash for making an off-handed joke about Asian food in the courtroom Thursday.
“I hope the Asian food isn’t coming … isn’t on one of those boats in Long Beach Harbor,” Kenosha County Circuit Judge Bruce Schroeder said ahead of a lunch break.
The joke, which appeared to reference the supply chain backlog impacting California ports that has left boats standing idle for days waiting to come ashore, left a bad taste among the Asian community.
John Yang, the executive director of Asian Americans Advancing Justice, a group dedicated to advancing civil and human rights for Asian Americans, slammed the comment as “definitely not okay.”
“Seriously, this remark can only be seen as a joke at the expense of Asians/Asian Americans. During a trial that clearly has race implications, no less,” he said.
Michele Dauber, a Stanford law professor, also condemned the joke.
“The biased judge in the Rittenhouse trial just made a thinly-veiled anti-Asian comment,” she tweeted. “Because all Asian food comes from China like the boats haha what a bigot.”
Former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, a Democrat, said, “Schroeder has provided an example of how not to be a good judge.”
“The selection system in Wisconsin is also badly flawed. They are elected after initial appointment and there is no retirement age. This is why we have intemperate and unfit judges like this all over the country,” he added.
Schroeder, the longest-serving active circuit judge in Wisconsin, has stolen the spotlight in the trial several times.
He made a scene angrily chastising the prosecution Wednesday and previously made headlines for disallowing the people shot by Rittenhouse from being called “victims“, but allowing other words like “rioters,” “looters” or “arsonists” to be used.
Schroeder has not addressed the backlash over Thursday’s remarks, which came a week after a juror in the trial was dismissed for making a joke about the police shooting of Jacob Blake. Schroeder said at the time, “It’s clear that the appearance of bias is present and it would seriously undermine the outcome of the case.”
The defense rested its case in the high-profile trial Thursday, where Rittenhouse, 18, stands accused of gunning down two men and wounding a third during a night of protest and civil unrest last summer in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Closing arguments are scheduled for Monday.
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Original Article: Judge in Kyle Rittenhouse trial faces backlash for Asian food joke
Does Professor Dauber actually believe that Americans think all Asian food comes from China? Most Americans realize that Japanese cuisine, Thai cooking, Korean dishes, Nepali recipes, Vietnamese foods, are all Asian, but do not come from China. They are all notably different from each other, in spite of all of them being Asian. How stupid does she think the average American is? The judge’s comment was a joke, not a racial insult.
You obviously don’t like the judge…he’s doing a great job. Kyle Rittenhouse should be freed he did nothing but protect himself. Watch the video…disgusting how people want to try to lynch a kid for doing what is his right…protecting himself. Shame on LeBron James for his two cents…he should stick to basketball and quit using his power to try to influence others…lost a lot of fans from his past tweets. God bless Kyle and the Judge for being fair…
Kyle might have been protecting himself with the first shot that disabled his victim. But then he shot him 3 more times when he was on the ground. In his back! But obviously this judge is biased and is making this political.
How is it everyone has such thin skin these days.
What the hell does his remark have to do with Asians??!! He was joking that he hoped the food wasn’t stuck on a boat waiting to be delivered because it was probably taking awhile. It could’ve been burgers from a diner, steaks from a steakhouse, it just happened to be Chinese food. Stupid ass wipes have nothing better to bitch about. Always looking for something to cry about and turn into racism 🙄. This whole racism pretense is worn out. No one cares anymore. It’s like the boy who cried wolf too many times.