Jill Karofsky
Jill Judith Karofsky (born July 15, 1966) is an American attorney, judge, and justice-elect of the Wisconsin Supreme Court.[2] Karofsky has served as a Wisconsin Circuit Court Judge in Dane County since 2017.[3]
The Honorable Jill J. Karofsky | |
---|---|
Justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court | |
Elect | |
Assumed office August 1, 2020 | |
Preceded by | Daniel Kelly |
Wisconsin Circuit Court Judge for the Dane Circuit, Branch 12 | |
Assumed office August 1, 2017 | |
Preceded by | Clayton Kawski |
Succeeded by | Chris Taylor (designate) |
Personal details | |
Born | [1] Middleton, Wisconsin, U.S. | July 15, 1966
Children | 2 |
Education | Duke University (BA) University of Wisconsin–Madison (MA, JD) |
Website | Campaign website |
Early life and education
Jill Karofsky was born on July 15, 1966, in south-central Wisconsin to Judy Karofsky, a former Middleton, Wisconsin city council member and the city's mayor from 1975 to 1977, and her then-husband Peter Karofsky, a pediatrician.[3] Karofsky was a state tennis champion while at Middleton High School, where she graduated in 1984. She later played Division I sports for Duke University, where she completed her undergraduate degree. Karofsky received her Juris Doctor degree from the University of Wisconsin Law School in Madison, Wisconsin.[4] She married attorney Jason Knutson in July 1998, though they later divorced.
Career
Karofsky entered civil service as a deputy district attorney for Dane County.[4] She has also served in the Wisconsin Department of Justice as Assistant Attorney General working as Wisconsin's Violence Against Women resource prosecutor, and later leading the Office of Crime Victim Services.[5][6]
In 2017, Karofsky was elected as a judge on the Dane County Circuit Court, beating municipal judge Marilyn Townsend by 15 points.[7]
Wisconsin Supreme Court
2020 Election
Judge Karofsky challenged incumbent Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Daniel Kelly in Wisconsin's 2020 election.[8] Kelly had been appointed to the Supreme Court by Republican then-Governor Scott Walker in 2016 and was endorsed by President Donald Trump.[9] Judge Karofsky was endorsed by over 100 current and former Wisconsin judges, including incumbent Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Rebecca Dallet. She also received endorsements from U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin, former governor Jim Doyle, and former U.S. senators Russ Feingold and Herb Kohl.[10] In the final days before the election, Judge Karofsky was endorsed by both the remaining 2020 Democratic Party presidential primary candidates—former Vice President Joe Biden and U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders.[11][12]
On April 13, 2020, Judge Karofsky was declared the winner of the election, taking roughly 55% of the vote.[2] She will take office on August 1, 2020, and become the ninth woman in Wisconsin history to serve on the state's high court.[13][14] Karofsky's upset election has been cited by Tom Perez, the Democratic National Committee Chair, as being indicative of the results of the 2020 presidential election.[15]
Attack Ad Controversy
During her campaign for Wisconsin Supreme Court, Karofsky was the target of television attack ads funded by supporters of her opponent Daniel Kelly. The ads falsely claimed Karofsky, as deputy district attorney, struck a plea deal with a man charged with sexual assault of a minor resulting in no jail time.[16] On March 27, 2020, Karofsky's campaign announced intent to file a cease and desist order against the ads.[17][18] On April 6, 2020, Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Timothy Witkowiak blocked Karofsky's injunction against the ads on the grounds of unlawful prior restraint.[19]
Personal life
A single mother of two children (a son and a daughter), Karofsky lives in Middleton, Wisconsin.[20] She is a marathon runner and Ironman triathlete.[21]
Electoral history
Wisconsin Circuit Court (2017)
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
General Election, April 4, 2017 | |||||
Nonpartisan | Jill J. Karofsky | 50,585 | 57.54% | ||
Nonpartisan | Marilyn Townsend | 37,110 | 42.21% | ||
Various Write in candidates | 218 | 0.25% | |||
Plurality | 13,475 | 15.33% | |||
Total votes | 87,913 | 100.0% |
Wisconsin Supreme Court (2020)
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Primary Election, February 18, 2020 | |||||
Nonpartisan | Daniel Kelly (incumbent) | 352,876 | 50.04% | ||
Nonpartisan | Jill J. Karofsky | 261,783 | 37.13% | ||
Nonpartisan | Ed Fallone | 89,184 | 12.65% | ||
Various Write in candidates | 1,295 | 0.18% | |||
Total votes | 705,138 | 100.0% | |||
General Election, April 7, 2020 | |||||
Nonpartisan | Jill J. Karofsky | 855,573 | 55.21% | ||
Nonpartisan | Daniel Kelly (incumbent) | 693,134 | 44.73% | ||
Various Write in candidates | 990 | 0.06% | |||
Plurality | 162,439 | 10.48% | |||
Total votes | 1,549,697 | 100.0% |
References
- "Meet Jill Karofsky, Wisconsin Supreme Court Candidate". Archived from the original on 2020-03-28. Retrieved 2020-04-14.
- "Wisconsin State Supreme Court". Decision Desk HQ. Archived from the original on 2020-04-11. Retrieved 2020-04-13.
- "About Jill". Jill for Justice. Archived from the original on March 28, 2020. Retrieved March 27, 2020.
- "Jill Karofsky". ACLU of Wisconsin. February 5, 2020. Archived from the original on March 28, 2020. Retrieved March 27, 2020.
- Lueders, Bill (March 25, 2020). "Cover Story | Supreme decision". Isthmus. Madison, Wisconsin. Retrieved March 27, 2020.
- Milwaukee, Urban. "AG Schimel Appoints Experienced, Award-Winning Prosecutor to Lead Office of Crime Victim Services". Urban Milwaukee. Retrieved 2020-06-14.
- Journal, Ed Treleven | Wisconsin State. "Jill Karofsky bests Marilyn Townsend for Dane County judge". madison.com. Retrieved 2020-06-14.
- "Wisconsin Supreme Court elections, 2020". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 2020-04-15.
- "Donald J. Trump on Twitter: "Wisconsin, get out and vote NOW for Justice Daniel Kelly. Protect your 2nd Amendment!"". web.archive.org. 2020-04-07. Retrieved 2020-04-15.
- "Endorsements". Jill for Justice. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
- Glauber, Bill (April 3, 2020). "Joe Biden endorses Jill Karofsky for state Supreme Court while Donald Trump reaffirms backing of Daniel Kelly". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
- Marley, Patrick (April 2, 2020). "Karofsky gets Sanders' endorsement in Supreme Court race after criticizing Kelly for getting Trump's backing". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
- "Wisconsin Legislature: Chapter 751". docs.legis.wisconsin.gov. Archived from the original on 2018-04-28. Retrieved 2020-04-13.
- Epstein, Reid J. (2020-04-13). "Jill Karofsky Wins Wisconsin Supreme Court Race in a Boost for Liberals". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2020-04-14. Retrieved 2020-04-14.
- EDT, Jeffery Martin On 4/13/20 at 10:22 PM (2020-04-13). "DNC Chair says Judge Karofsky winning Wisconsin's SC race should "terrify" Trump given GOP "voter suppression efforts"". Newsweek. Archived from the original on 2020-04-14. Retrieved 2020-04-14.
- "PolitiFact - Ads attack Jill Karofsky over sexual assault sentence, but she wasn't even involved". PolitiFact. Archived from the original on March 28, 2020. Retrieved March 28, 2020.
- Conniff, Ruth (March 27, 2020). "Karofsky campaign issues cease and desist letter over misleading ads". WisconsinExaminer.com. Archived from the original on March 28, 2020. Retrieved March 28, 2020.
- Vielmetti, Bruce (January 30, 2020). "Wisconsin Supreme Court justice accuses challenger of slander, demands apology at heated election forum". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Archived from the original on March 17, 2020. Retrieved March 28, 2020.
- Vielmetti, Bruce (April 6, 2020). "Judge denies Jill Karofsky's bid for an injunction blocking Daniel Kelly TV ads in Supreme Court race". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Archived from the original on April 8, 2020. Retrieved April 10, 2020.
- Lueders, Bill (2020-02-06). "Supreme consequences". Isthmus | Madison, Wisconsin. Retrieved 2020-04-13.
- "Ultra-runner, Supreme Court nominee: Jill Karofsky, not just a role model for the girls". WKTY. Retrieved 2020-05-03.
- Canvass Results for 2017 Spring Election - 4/4/2017 (PDF) (Report). Wisconsin Elections Commission. April 18, 2017. p. 2. Retrieved April 9, 2020.
- Canvass Results for 2020 Spring Primary (PDF) (Report). Wisconsin Elections Commission. February 18, 2020. p. 1. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
- Canvass Results for 2020 Spring Election and Presidential Preference Vote - 4/7/2020 (PDF) (Report). Wisconsin Elections Commission. May 4, 2020. p. 2. Retrieved May 17, 2020.
External links
- Jill for Justice (campaign website) (Archived 4/17/2020)
- Jill Karofsky at Our Campaigns
- Jill Karofsky at Ballotpedia
- Profile at Vote Smart
Legal offices | ||
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Preceded by Clayton Kawski |
Wisconsin Circuit Court Judge for the Dane Circuit, Branch 12 2017 – present |
Incumbent |