Chief Justice Karofsky: Wisconsin's judiciary is 'resilient,' but 'resiliency is not the same as security'

Wisconsin Supreme Court Chief Justice Jill J. Karofsky declared the state of Wisconsin's judiciary 'resilient' in her State of the Judiciary address Wednesday, crediting judges and court staff who 'hold each other up.'

But she warned that dedication alone cannot keep courts safe or running, and urged the incoming governor and Legislature to fund the court system's 2027-29 budget request.

"Resiliency is not the same as security. Resiliency is not a staffing plan, and it is not dollars allocated in a budget," Chief Justice Karofsky told judges at the Annual Meeting of the Wisconsin Judicial Conference. "Judges should not have to be heroic to be safe, and courts should not have to run on grit alone."

"None of us does this work alone"

Chief Justice Karofsky opened with a personal story: on a morning run, she came upon a young woman who had been trafficked and drugged, and held the woman's head off the pavement as she seized. Thankfully, the woman survived. Her colleagues rallied around her afterward.

"None of us does this work alone," she said. The same scene could play out in any courtroom, she told judges. "A survivor may tell her story out of order. She may seem flat, or angry, or confused, or even laugh. That is not a reason to doubt her. That is what trauma looks like."

Calls to action: security, capacity, and access to lawyers

Wisconsin judges reported 129 security threats in 2025, and Chief Justice Karofsky said local courthouse security is the top priority in the budget request, which seeks about $3 million over the biennium to:

• Permanently fund the four statewide officers in the Wisconsin Court Protection Unit, who serve nearly 300 judges and justices.
• Create a $1.5 million Court Security Improvement grant program for counties. As of October 2025, only 33 of Wisconsin's 72 courthouses had staffed security screening at the entrance.
• Expand the Marshal's Office from one full-time and one part-time position to three full-time positions.

"These requests are modest, responsible, and vital. They must be funded. Full stop," she said, adding, "No threat, from anyone, can be allowed to decide a case."

The request also seeks eight new circuit court branches and an additional Court of Appeals judgeship in District III, reflecting a workload study showing cases now take more of a judge's time. It asks for better pay for judges, whose pay ranks 39th in the nation according to the National Center for State Courts, along with increased compensation for assistant district attorneys, assistant public defenders, and court staff.

"When a seasoned prosecutor or defender leaves for better pay, cases slow down, and people wait," she said. Chief Justice Karofsky also pointed to a shortage of lawyers outside the state's population centers. Nearly three-quarters of active attorneys practice in three judicial districts that hold less than half the population. "Without attorneys, the courthouse doors are closed for too many Wisconsinites," she said.

She highlighted the Supreme Court's March adoption of the Uniform Bar Examination, which lets qualified lawyers transfer scores from other states and helps bring attorneys to rural communities.

Chief Justice Karofsky asked judges to make the case themselves. "You are the best witnesses this budget has. Tell your legislators what you see. Invite them into your courtroom," she said. "Safety in our courts is not a partisan issue. Fully functioning courts are not a partisan issue."

Rule of law and public trust

Chief Justice Karofsky again urged judges to defend the rule of law. "People have every right to criticize our decisions. But threats and intimidation, or suggestions that court orders are optional, weaken the rule of law and public trust in every courtroom in this state."

She described recent steps to make courts more open and accessible:

• A statewide online restraining order portal, launched in September, that lets people petition for domestic abuse and harassment restraining orders any time, even from a phone. "Domestic violence does not keep business hours. Now our front door doesn't either."
• Justice on Wheels, which brought Supreme Court oral arguments to Chippewa Falls in October and will come to Milwaukee in the new year.
• Juror Appreciation Month, led by Justice Rebecca Frank Dallet, to thank the Wisconsinites who serve on juries.
• A new committee on judicial recusal, created after a public hearing in June.

On the cost of Supreme Court races, she said: "People notice. And they ask whether money shapes outcomes. That is a fair question, and it deserves a public answer."

She also urged judges to look after their own mental health and each other. "Asking for help is not a weakness. It is part of doing this job well," she said.

Director of State Courts Audrey K. Skwierawski followed with remarks on how her office supports the daily work of rural, urban, and appellate courts across Wisconsin.

Chief Justice Karofsky closed by returning to that morning run.

"My job was simple. Hold her head. Don't let it hit the ground," she said. "That is what my colleagues did for me that day. It is what you do for the people who come into your courtrooms on the worst days of their lives. And it is what the State of Wisconsin must now do for its courts."

CONTACT:
Stephen Kelley
Public Information Officer
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