Justice Jill Karofsky was elected to the Wisconsin Supreme Court on April 7, 2020.

A dedicated advocate for victims and the rights of all residents of Wisconsin, Justice Karofsky previously served as executive director of the Wisconsin Office of Crime Victim Services. She also worked as an Assistant Attorney General, serving as the state’s Violence Against Women resource prosecutor, and as deputy district attorney in Dane County, prosecuting felonies and misdemeanors. She also worked as general counsel for the National Conference of Bar Examiners, and worked as an adjunct professor at the University of Wisconsin Law School, teaching about victims in the criminal justice system and trial advocacy.

Justice Karofsky is an ultra-marathoner and has completed multiple Ironmans. She was born and raised in south-central Wisconsin and attended public schools. Jill was a state tennis champion, a Division I athlete at Duke University, and graduated with both a master’s degree and law degree from UW-Madison.

Justice Karofsky received the WI Coalition Against Sexual Assault’s “Voices of Courage Award,” was named the WI Victim/Witness Professional Association’s “Professional of the Year,” and earned a “Significant Impact” Award from a local organization dedicated to ending domestic violence. She currently serves on the Wisconsin Judicial Education Committee and chairs the Violence Against Women STOP Grant committee. She previously co-chaired the Attorney General’s Sexual Assault Response Team, and served on the Governor’s Council on Domestic Abuse, the WI Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Board, the Wisconsin Crime Victims Council, and the Dane County Big Brothers/Big Sisters Board of Directors. A partial listing of awards and volunteer service commitments are below.

Karofsky is the daughter of Peter Karofsky, a local pediatrician, and former Middleton Mayor Judy Karofsky, one of the first women in Wisconsin to serve as mayor. She has two children, a daughter in college and a son in high school, and a golden retriever named Cleo.

AWARDS

2015 Wisconsin Victim/Witness Professional Association “Professional of the Year”

2016 Wisconsin Coalition Against Sexual Assault “Voices of Courage Award – Criminal Justice”

2017 Dane County Coordinated Community Response to Domestic Violence “Significant Impact” Award

VOLUNTEER AND BOARD ASSOCIATIONS

2019-present Wisconsin State Courts Judicial Education Committee

2018-present WI State Courts Violence Against Women Act STOP Grant Advisory Committee (Chair)

2018-present James E. Doyle Inns of Court

2016-2017 Wisconsin Attorney General’s Child Maltreatment Task Force

2016-2017 Madison Metropolitan School District Guiding Coalition Committee

2015-2017 Wisconsin Celebrate Children Foundation Board of Directors

2015-2017 Wisconsin Governor’s Council on Domestic Abuse

2014- 2015 Wisconsin Legislative Council Study Committee on Criminal Penalties

2013-2017 Wisconsin Child Abuse Network Leadership Committee

2012-2017 Wisconsin Violence Against Women Act Advisory Committee

2012-2017 Wisconsin Attorney General’s Statewide Sexual Assault Response Team (Co-Chair)

2011- 2013 Wisconsin Judicial Council Appellate Procedure Committee (Ad Hoc Member)

2011-2017 Wisconsin Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Board

2011-2017 Wisconsin Child Death Review Council

2011-2017 Wisconsin Task Force on Children in Need

2011-2017 Wisconsin Crime Victims Council

2006-2008 Woodland Montessori School Personnel Committee

2002-2005 University of Wisconsin Law School Friends of LEO Mentorship Program

2001-2003 Safe Harbor of Dane County, Inc. Board of Directors (Treasurer 2003)

2001 & 2003 Safe Harbor of Dane County Run for Kids Race Director

1996-1998 Dane County Big Brothers/Big Sisters Board of Directors

1993-2000 Dane County Big Brothers/Big Sisters Program Participant

1993 & 2001 James E. Doyle Inns of Court

