New jury may review Isaiah Taylor's profiling case

A new jury may hear a case involving Isaiah Taylor, who claims two Milwaukee police officers racially profiled him nearly ten years ago. The federal civil case was brought against officers Justin Schwarzhuber and Jasen Rydzewski. Taylor, the son of a circuit court judge, says he was detained while delivering a turkey to a neighbor in 2015. On March 17, a federal magistrate ordered a new trial after reviewing the case. Attorney Mark Thomsen, who represents Taylor, celebrated the decision, stating that it affirms that the officers' actions were unlawful. He emphasized that even brief unlawful detentions are unacceptable. In 2021, Taylor filed a lawsuit claiming that his Fourth and Fourteenth Amendment rights were violated during the encounter. At the time, he was a 16-year-old returning home after delivering holiday meals with his mother, Lena Taylor, a state senator at the time. Court records show that the police had stopped Taylor while he was running near North 15th Street and West Capitol Drive. The officers frisked him, searched his bag, and detained him in their squad car to check for outstanding warrants. Initially, the court granted qualified immunity to the officers on some claims, but it later denied it regarding the legality of Taylor's continued detention. After a jury found the officers not liable, Taylor appealed, arguing that the court's protections were improperly awarded to the officers. The magistrate ruled that the previous decisions were flawed and ordered a new trial. It is not yet clear when this new trial will take place.