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A Lake County, Illinois judge granted a request to extradite Kyle Rittenhouse to Wisconsin.
Rittenhouse, a 17-year-old Illinois native, faces two counts of first degree homicide along with other felony charges for shooting and killing two people and injuring a third in Kenosha on Aug. 26 during protests following the police shooting of Jacob Blake.
Rittenhouse’s attorneys had attempted to block the extradition on technical grounds, an argument Lake County Circuit Judge Paul Novak disagreed with when he granted the extradition.
“According to Illinois law, this Illinois court shall not re-evaluate probable cause determined by a Wisconsin court,” Novak wrote. “According to Illinois law, this Illinois court shall not determine if Rittenhouse has a valid self-defense argument for the Wisconsin charges. According to Illinois law, this Illinois court shall not examine any potential political impact a Wisconsin District Attorney potentially considered in his charging decision regarding Wisconsin statutes. According to Illinois law, this Illinois court shall not rule on the State of Wisocnsin’s statutes that charge a 17-year-old as an adult. According to Illinois law, an Illinois court cannot opine on the safety or alleged lack thereof of Rittenhouse in the State of Wisconsin.”
“These are matters that can be raised in Kenosha County, Wisconsin, through pre-trial proceedings or during trial,” Novak continued.
A lawyer for Rittenhouse tweeted on Friday that an appeal will be immediately filed.
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“We will be filing his notice of appeal immediately and pursuing Kyle’s righteous cause with swiftness and vigor in the Illinois Court of Appeal,” John Pierce wrote. “We will never surrender. Kyle will be set free and cleared of all charges.”
Since the August shootings, Rittenhouse has become a celebrity in some conservative media, talk radio and online. Earlier this year, Pierce and Rittenhouse’s mother received a standing ovation at a meeting of the Waukesha County Republicans.
A hearing is scheduled on Nov. 6 on the status of Rittenhouse’s extradition, according to Lake County Circuit Court records.
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