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Wisconsin Supreme Court Chief Justice Jill Karofsky had some friends in the audience when she took part in a \u201cGet to Know\u201d 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\u2019s presence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The point concerned one of Karofsky\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cPolitical violence in the United States is going in the wrong direction,\u201d Karofsky said. \u201cIt\u2019s unacceptable.\u201d 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. \u201cWe\u2019re talking about hundreds and hundreds of judges,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She also said it was \u201ccompletely unacceptable\u201d for the president of the United States to attack justices and judges for doing their jobs. \u201cThat\u2019s as un-American as you can get,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThere are judges and justices in this country who are accessing an incredible level of courage\u201d to do their jobs, Karofsky said. \u201cI think in many ways the judiciary is the bulwark for protecting our democracy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But when an audience member asked whether the personal risk meant attorneys shouldn\u2019t 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. \u201cWe need good lawyers in this country right now more than we ever have.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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. \u201cWe\u2019re 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\u201d by the end of the current court term in June, she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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\u2019s work is generally much different. \u201cWe are far more likely\u201d 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, \u201cthat\u2019s not the world I live in,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Asked by Mosley if she had a message for the law students in the audience, Karofsky said, \u201cWe 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\u2019t 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.\u201d Video of the one-hour conversation may be viewed by clicking here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n