Examining Two Polarizing Court Cases: Arbery Murder Trial and Rittenhouse Acquittal
Two high-profile court cases - the conviction of three men for the murder of Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia and the acquittal of Kyle Rittenhouse for fatal shootings in Kenosha, Wisconsin - have sparked debates on self-defense, citizen's arrests, and the role of video evidence. The cases exemplify the intersection of race, vigilantism, and legal defense strategies in a polarized political climate.
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CQ Press Lecture Spark NOVEMBER 30, 2021 Connecting current events to your American Government classroom
Two Trials, Two Verdicts Two polarizing court cases were decided within days of each other. In Georgia, a nearly all-white jury found three men guilty in the murder of Ahmad Arbery. Three co-defendants were found guilty of charges ranging from malice murder to false imprisonment and could face life in prison. In early 2020, the defendants pursued Arbery, while armed and in pickup trucks, as he jogged through a suburban Georgia neighborhood leading to a deadly confrontation. The trial garnered worldwide attention and put the state s citizen s arrest and stand your ground laws under increased scrutiny. Why did video taken by the defendants play such an important role? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dq9J6r4n9aA 2
Two Trials, Two Verdicts Days earlier, Kyle Rittenhouse was acquitted of all charges for fatally shooting two people during the 2020 protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin. The jury was asked to consider whether Rittenhouse s actions constituted murder or whether he acted in self- defense. The Rittenhouse case was politically charged from the beginning as many Democrats decried vigilante justice while Republicans defended the use of firearms for self-defense. Demonstrations in protest of the verdict took place in some American cities as Rittenhouse gave his first national interview after the verdict. Why was Rittenhouse s defense successful? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-RepQkhh2o 3
Background and Key Concepts Ahmaud Arbery was killed in suburban Georgia neighborhood by men who claimed they suspected him of criminal activity. A graphic video taken by one of the defendants inflamed the public and eventually led to the arrest of the three men charged with killing Arbery. The shooting of an unarmed, black man named Jacob Blake by police led to protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Kyle Rittenhouse travelled to Wisconsin with the expressed intent of protecting property from vandalism. Rittenhouse was involved in a videotaped altercation that resulted in the death of two men and the injury of a third. Rittenhouse was later indicted. A jury in Wisconsin ruled that Rittenhouse had acted in self defense and acquitted him of murder charges. A jury in Georgia convicted three men in the murder of Arbery. 4
Assessment Writing: Explain why the prosecution in Georgia was successful in securing a conviction of Ahmaud Arbery s killers where others, in similar cases, have failed. Did the prosecution in the Rittenhouse trial mishandle the case? Debate:Should ordinary people have the power to make citizen s arrests or should it be limited to professional law enforcement? Poll: Do open carry and stand your ground laws encourage vigilante justice? Short Answer: Describe the role that video played in the case of the murder of Ahmaud Arbery and the trial of Kyle Rittenhouse? 5
