Jennifer Dorow

Jennifer Rachael Dorow ( Evans; born September 1, 1970) is an American attorney from Wisconsin. She is a Wisconsin circuit court judge in Waukesha County, serving since 2011. She previously served as chief judge of the 3rd district of Wisconsin circuit courts (2017–2023). In 2022, she presided over the trial of Darrell Brooks Jr., the perpetrator of the Waukesha Christmas parade attack, which received national news coverage. Following that trial, Dorow ran for a vacant seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court, but was eliminated in the primary.

Dorow also presided over the "Eye Drop Murder" case of Jessy Kurczewski, a woman who was charged with First-Degree Intentional Homicide of a childhood friend. The case and trial received national news coverage, as it was aired for the public.

Personal life Jennifer Rachael Evans was born on September 1, 1970 and attended Waukesha South High School graduating in 1988. During her childhood, Dorow wanted to work as a television news reporter. Dorow received her bachelor’s degree from Marquette University in 1992 and her J.D. from Regent University School of Law in 1996. She has been licensed to practice law in Wisconsin since 1996.

Dorow married Brian Dorow, a former dean of criminal justice at Waukesha County Technical College, in 1998. Brian Dorow ran for the Wisconsin State Assembly in 2010, and for the Wisconsin Senate in 2015, but lost both races. During the Trump administration, he was named Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security for State and Local Law Enforcement.

Dorow considers herself a devout Christian.

In 2011, Dorow was appointed a Wisconsin circuit court judge in Waukesha County by Governor Scott Walker, to replace judge Mark Gundrum, who had been elevated to the Court of Appeals. She took office in February 2012. In 2012 and 2018, Dorow ran unopposed for reelection to this office.

As a judge, Dorow has claimed to follow a textualist interpretation of the law and constitution. During this time, Dorow served on the Legislative Council Study Committee on Bail & Conditions of Pretrial Release. In 2021, Dorow presided over a carjacking and sexual assault case that occurred at the Waukesha Public Library. That same year, she presided over a case involving a juror who walked out of a case due to concerns regarding COVID-19 precautions. Both of these cases received substantial local coverage. This was the first case Dorow had presided over to receive national media attention. During the trial, the defendant, Darrell Brooks, made repeated attempts to disrupt the trial and present pseudolegal arguments based on sovereign citizen ideology. Brooks' behavior resulted in Judge Dorow repeatedly removing the former for failure to comply with rules of decorum. Brooks was ultimately found guilty of all 76 charges and sentenced to life without parole by Judge Dorow.

Dorow was widely praised for her skill in presiding over the trial and her conduct in the proceedings. This resulted in the court receiving a substantial amount of fan-mail from individuals from various countries and Judge Dorow being likened to a figure of female empowerment. Others have criticized her approach, believing that she was too lenient on Brooks' misbehavior.

Wisconsin Supreme Court candidacy

On November 30, 2022, following the Waukesha Christmas Parade attack trial, Judge Dorow announced her candidacy for the Wisconsin Supreme Court. The election was for the replacement of Chief Justice Patience D. Roggensack, who announced her retirement earlier in the year. In her candidacy announcement, Dorow cited the fan mail she had received, claiming that a large number of voters had asked her to run for office and claimed to be a "judicial conservative".

A month before the nonpartisan primary, Dorow was hit with allegations that her 19-year-old son was an active drug dealer in Milwaukee, and that she had been aware of his activities. The information was revealed after the fentanyl overdose death of a University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee student, Cade Reddington, who had been a customer of Dorow's son.

Daniel Kelly and Janet Protasiewicz advanced to the general election, with Dorow coming in third place.

Political positions Cash bail During her time on the Legislative Council Study Committee on Bail and Conditions of Pretrial Release, Dorow was highly critical of cash bail and called for its elimination. On January 29, 2019, she said:

Electoral history

Wisconsin Circuit Court (2012–present)

Wisconsin Supreme Court (2023)