Defendant picks his own jury?

[sarisataka]

Jury begins deliberations at Kyle Rittenhouse murder trial

The jury began deliberating Tuesday at the murder trial of Kyle Rittenhouse after listening to dueling portrayals of him as a “wannabe soldier” who went looking for the trouble, or a concerned citizen who came under attack while trying to protect property.

The case went to the anonymous, 12-member jury after Rittenhouse himself, in a highly unusual move, was allowed by the judge to draw the slips of paper from a raffle drum that determined which of the 18 people who sat in judgment during the trial would decide his fate and which ones would be dismissed as alternates.

Rittenhouse, 18, faces life in prison if convicted as charged for using a AR-style semi-automatic rifle to kill two men and wound a third during a night of protests against racial injustice in Kenosha in the summer of 2020. The former police youth cadet is white, as were those he shot.

The resulting jury appeared to be overwhelmingly white.

https://kstp.com/news/jury-deliberations-at-kyle-rittenhouse-murder-trial/6303340/?cat=1

Who normally draws the jury numbers?

[Hoyt]

1. It's not like Rittenhouse picked the jurors he thought were sympathetic to his murdering 2 people.

[sarisataka]

4. Doubtful he would know which juror

Goes with which number, but with all of the questions, conspiracies and doubts around this trial, why give the slightest image that there could be a "fix" as to which jurors are chosen.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

2. Usually it's a member of the court, but from what I've read, having the defendant pick them is

highly unusual but not prohibited.

[Amishman]

3. IMO it makes some sense with the political weight of the case

It's going to be random regardless of whose hand is pulling them out, and this way it is one less opportunity for stupid conspiracy theories

[WhiskeyGrinder]

7. It seems more symbolic than anything, to me. A jury of peers.

[sarisataka]

6. Personally it makes a lot of sense

To have the defense pull the numbers. Or half and half defense and prosecution.

But in this trial in particular, I would have gone with what is usual and standard.

[PDT69]

5. Basically pulled 6 numbers out of a hat.

Doesn't matter. Anyone could have done it.

[empedocles]

8. A superstitious juror in the pool of 18, may attach a superstitious 'meaning', to their name

drawn in the pool?

[WhiskeyGrinder]

9. Further reporting finds this is pretty standard in Schroeder's proceedings.

[sarisataka]

10. If it is the case

That this judge does it that way, then it makes sense to continue to do so.

He does seem to have several atypical habits in his court but if they are consistent with what he has done in other cases I won't complain.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

11. Criminal court judges are an idiosyncrantic lot.