The Joint Finance Committee today rejected a proposal to create a new office to provide security for Wisconsin judges and justices amid a rise in threats to the judiciary.
Gov. Tony Evers had backed the state Supreme Court’s call for an Office of Marshals to add 8.4 full-time equivalent staff in addition to the 1.6 positions now working for the court. His budget included nearly $2.3 million to cover the costs.
Dems proposed a motion to support the guv’s plan, but it was rejected 12-4 along party lines.
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No Republicans spoke on the motion.
State Sen. Kelda Roys, D-Madison, argued there is a need for additional protection with “an administration in Washington” that is denigrating judges in an unprecedented way. She also noted a Wisconsin judge was murdered in his home. A man the judge had sent to prison a decade earlier was found dead at the scene of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Ahead of the hearing, the LFB prepared background on the request showing that between January and March, there had been 22 credible, identified threats against judges and justices referred to law enforcement for formal investigation. That’s compared to 29 in all of 2024 and 46 in 2023. That puts the state on pace for 88 threats in 2025.
Roys noted Republican lawmakers have been sensitive to security concerns for judges with legislation that would, for example, make their home addresses private.
“I am much less interested in putting people in prison after they have murdered a judge than I am in preventing our judges from being attacked or killed,” Roys said.
Incoming Chief Justice Jill Karofsky, who will take over the leadership role on July 1, sat in the audience for the committee vote. Afterward, she said in a statement “we will continue working toward solutions that reflect the needs of judges, court staff, and the public.” She also looked forward to “continued dialogue with the Legislature on how best to support the safety and effectiveness of our courts.”
In other action, the committee approved a GOP motion to provide an additional $10 million annually from the state to help cover circuit court costs.
