In Lubar Center Program, Chief Justice Karofsky Calls for Protecting Judges and the Justice System
Wisconsin Supreme Court Chief Justice Jill Karofsky had some friends in the audience when she took part in a “Get to Know” program in the Lubar Center of Marquette Law School on Wednesday, March 4, 2026. There was also someone else with her who sought no attention but was important: a security person. Indeed, to make a point, Karofsky noted the person’s presence.
The point concerned one of Karofsky’s main themes in her conversation with Derek Mosley, director of the Lubar Center for Public Policy Research and Civic Education: the need to increase protection of judges and court personnel at a time when polarization and extremely hateful views are making the possibility of violence more of a concern. In Wisconsin, a retired judge from Juneau County, John Roemer, was murdered in 2022 by a man whom Roemer had sentenced to six years in prison. Karofsky herself was the target of stalking that led to the conviction of a Racine man in January 2026. She said police officers have been stationed outside her house at times. And having security officers around Supreme Court justices has become routine.
“Political violence in the United States is going in the wrong direction,” Karofsky said. “It’s unacceptable.” She said she worries every day about the safety of judges, all other staff people who work in courts, and everyone who comes into contact with the justice system. Karofsky has been urging legislators to increase spending on security for courts. She said only four people are assigned now to work on safety for judges across Wisconsin. “We’re talking about hundreds and hundreds of judges,” she said.
She also said it was “completely unacceptable” for the president of the United States to attack justices and judges for doing their jobs. “That’s as un-American as you can get,” she said.
“There are judges and justices in this country who are accessing an incredible level of courage” to do their jobs, Karofsky said. “I think in many ways the judiciary is the bulwark for protecting our democracy.”
But when an audience member asked whether the personal risk meant attorneys shouldn’t aspire to be judges, Karofsky said the value and importance of the work can continue to make it worth being on the bench. More broadly, Karofsky said she encourages people to go to law school and become lawyers. “We need good lawyers in this country right now more than we ever have.”
Among her priorities, Karofsky is pushing to have a policy created for when judges and justices should recuse themselves from taking part in cases, including when one of the parties has been a donor to their campaigns. Karofsky said there is a rule petition in front of the Wisconsin Supreme Court currently. “We’re going to have a rule hearing . . . , and it is my hope and my desire and my plan to work together to craft a rule that is best for the people in this state” by the end of the current court term in June, she said.
Although the partisan split between conservatives and liberals on the Wisconsin high court has received great attention and shaped recent races for the court, Karofsky said the reality of the court’s work is generally much different. “We are far more likely” to have decisions that are 7 to 0 or 6 to 1 or 5 to 2 than 4 to 3, she said. She said the justices work together, socialize together, and take part in events and celebrations outside of work. The idea that the court is split 4 to 3 on everything, “that’s not the world I live in,” she said.
Although she said she does not like the high costs of recent Supreme Court races in Wisconsin, she said that the blame should be put on the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2010 decision known as Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, which she characterized as opening the way for large donations by corporations and organizations. And she said she continues to support election of judges and justices, rather than appointment through a political process.
Asked by Mosley if she had a message for the law students in the audience, Karofsky said, “We are at a pivotal time in our democracy. And this is a time when the law can really be used as a vehicle to protect the rights of people in our communities, and it can be used as a vehicle to change things that aren’t working for people. I think you are learning how to be lawyers here, and graduating with your law degrees is going to give you incredible power and the incredible opportunity to make a difference in this world are time when we need it most.” Video of the one-hour conversation may be viewed by clicking here.
Video of the one-hour conversation may be viewed by clicking here.
