On August 25, 2020, Kyle Rittenhouse, a 17-year-old from Antioch, Illinois, shot and killed two men in self defense, and wounded another man in self defense as well. Rittenhouse’s charges were two counts of homicide, one count of attempted homicide, two counts of reckless endangerment, one count of unlawful possession of a firearm, and one count of curfew violation. Although the media was quick to judge Kyle Rittenhouse as a guilty man, despite the sixth amendment establishing the “innocent until proven guilty” mantra that is present in the United States legal system, Kyle Rittenhouse was unanimously deemed not guilty by the jury.

After Kyle Rittenhouse was deemed innocent, the media exploded in disagreement with the verdict. Many people were quick to the internet and said that Kyle was a white supremacist and a cold blooded murderer. House Judiciary Chair Jerry Nadler went as far to say, “This heartbreaking verdict is a miscarriage of justice and sets a dangerous precedent which justifies federal review by DOJ. Justice cannot tolerate armed persons crossing state lines looking for trouble while people engage in First Amendment-protected protest.” This is in fact, not true. There was no miscarriage of justice, there is no justification for federal review, and Kyle did not cross state lines. To say this in spite of the evidence provided in court is in fact intellectually dishonest. Even if there was some sort of miscarriage of justice, for Biden’s Department of Justice to review this case would be unconstitutional. According to The Double Jeopardy Clause of the Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution: “[N]or shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb…” 

Late night tv host Stephen Colbert said to his audience on Monday, November 22, “Cards on the table, I am not a legal expert so I can’t tell you whether or not Kyle Rittenhouse broke the law. But I can tell you this, if he didn’t break the law we should change the law.” No Stephen, you are not a legal expert. Not even close. Kyle Rittenhouse did not break the law nor should any law be changed. The right to self defense is not restricted to your opinion or the opinions of others who agree with your stance. Kyle Rittenhouse is an innocent man no matter the opinions of others.