Republicans Reject Funding for Wisconsin Supreme Court Security
There were 22 threats against judges in just the first three months of this year.
The Wisconsin Supreme Court on Wednesday, June 9, 2021, at the Wisconsin State Capitol in Madison, Wis. Angela Major/WPR
Republican state lawmakers have rejected a plan that would have created a new security force for the Wisconsin Supreme Court, arguing other police who protect the state Capitol can handle the job on their own.
The decision marks the second session in a row the Republican-led Joint Finance Committee has declined the court’s request for added security, despite warnings that threats against judges are on the rise.
The latest request was endorsed by Democratic Gov. Tony Evers, whose budget would have spent around $1 million annually to create a security force known as the Office of the Marshals of the Supreme Court. The office would have been staffed by 10 people, including eight law enforcement officers with statewide jurisdiction.
Democratic lawmakers spoke in favor of the proposal during a Tuesday committee vote, with Sen. Kelda Roys, D-Madison, arguing it was a small price to pay.
“The Supreme Court has made this request over numerous years because they understand better than any of us what it is like to try to serve the public in this critically important but increasingly dangerous role,” Roys said. “This is not going to break the bank, but increasing violence against the judiciary will break our democracy.”
The Wisconsin Supreme Court tracks “credible, identified threats” against judges, according to a summary of the issue by the Legislature’s nonpartisan budget office. There were 30 such incidents in 2022, 46 in 2023 and 29 in 2024.
But there were 22 such incidents in just the first three months of this year, according to the court — a period of time that coincided with judges nationwide coming under a spotlight as they blocked major executive orders by President Donald Trump.
Speaking to reporters ahead of the vote, budget committee cochairs Sen. Howard Marklein, R-Spring Green, and Rep. Mark Born, R-Beaver Dam, downplayed the need for a special security force.
“I don’t think we believe we want to create a new police force just for the Supreme Court,” Marklein said.
Born said Wisconsin’s Capitol Police could protect justices.
“I think they do a good job, and I think they’ll continue to provide top-notch work here at the Capitol, as far as security for everyone who works and visits here,” Born said.
The measure failed 4-12, with all Democrats in favor and all Republicans against.
The last request for a Supreme Court security force came in 2023 from former Chief Justice Annette Ziegler, a conservative, after retired Juneau County Circuit Court Judge John Roemer was murdered in his home a year earlier.
In a written statement after the vote, Justice Jill Karofsky, who will become chief justice this summer, said the court remained “deeply committed to the safety and security of every person who walks into a courthouse in Wisconsin.”
“We will continue working toward solutions that reflect the needs of judges, court staff and the public,” Karofsky said. “We thank Gov. Evers for prioritizing court security in the budget and look forward to continued dialogue with the Legislature on how best to support the safety and effectiveness of our courts.”
Barring any other action, Tuesday’s vote could leave the court with fewer police watching over it than it had the past two years. That’s because Evers used federal money from the American Rescue Plan Protection Act to fund one Capitol Police officer and three state employees as “court protection officers.” Those positions are set to expire on Aug. 31, 2026.
Republicans reject funding for Wisconsin Supreme Court security was originally published by Wisconsin Public Radio.
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