Chief Justice Jill Karofsky says she’s optimistic the Supreme Court will be able to secure funding needed to extend the protection now provided by four Capitol Police officers amid a spike in threats against the judiciary.
Appearing at a WisPolitics-State Affairs luncheon Thursday, Karofsky said she’d also like to bolster security for the courts statewide.
Her comments came days after prosecutors charged a Racine man with felony stalking for allegedly sending Karofsky a series of intimidating emails.
“Every single person who comes into contact with the Wisconsin state court system deserves to be safe and secure when they’re engaging with that system,” said Karofsky, who became chief justice in July. “We cannot have a system of justice where people walk into courtrooms afraid for their own safety.”
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The court is currently assigned 1.6 full-time equivalent positions for a civilian marshal and a deputy marshal covered by state money. The state is also using federal COVID-19 funds to provide an additional four positions, though that funding will run out Aug. 31, 2026.
Dem Gov. Tony Evers’ budget included $2.3 million and 8.5 FTEs for the creation of an Office of the Marshals to serve as a law enforcement agency that would have statewide jurisdiction to provide security for the courts.
According to the Legislative Fiscal Bureau, the Supreme Court marshal tracks credible threats against justices and judges that are referred to law enforcement for investigation. There were 30 such incidents in 2022, 46 in 2023, and 29 in 2024.
Karofsky expressed confidence she can secure funds to extend the four Capitol Police officers beyond Aug. 31, 2026, after her talks with the guv and lawmakers.
“I’m here to tell you I do believe this is an issue that transcends partisan politics,” she said.
Also during the luncheon:
- Karofsky said she is committed to bringing a recusal rule before the court. Currently, recusal is left up to a judge or justice’s individual discretion. Karofsky called for an open hearing on a proposal to hear from the public. After the luncheon, Karofsky didn’t list specifics she’d want to see in the rule.
- Asked about the gender balance on the court with only one male justice, Karofsky noted the murals that decorate the hearing room. Each shows a moment in the history of law, and all of them are dominated by men. “It is almost as if in the history of humankind, the history of America, the history of Wisconsin, women were nonexistent,” Karofsky said. “So do I think there is a problem with six of the seven members of this Supreme Court being female? No.”
- Karofsky said the justices are collegial with each other. There have been a series of high-profile conflicts with members of the court over the years, and conservative Justice Rebecca Bradley has referred to her liberal colleagues in dissents as “handmaidens” of the Democratic Party. Karofsky likened the justices’ relationship to trying to get six friends to agree on where and when to meet for dinner, but with that dynamic applied to addressing the toughest legal questions in the state. She noted some justices recently went to dinner together, have gone to family funerals together and jointly participate in ceremonies welcoming new lawyers who have passed the bar. “We Venmo together, some of us,” Karofsky said. “Some still write checks.”
