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. 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 received her Bachelor of Arts in 1988. Karofsky received her Juris Doctor from the University of Wisconsin Law School in 1992. She married attorney Jason Knutson in July 1998, though they later divorced.
Judge Karofsky challenged incumbent Wisconsin Supreme Court JusticeDaniel Kelly in Wisconsin's 2020 election. Kelly had been appointed to the Supreme Court by Republican then-Governor Scott Walker in 2016 and was endorsed by President Donald Trump. 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. 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. The election set a spending record for any Wisconsin Supreme Court race, with the two candidates raising a collective $10 million. On April 13, 2020, Judge Karofsky was declared the winner of the election, taking roughly 55% of the vote. She will take office on August 1, 2020, and become the ninth woman in Wisconsin history to serve on the state's high court. 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.
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. On March 27, 2020, Karofsky's campaign announced intent to file a cease and desist order against the ads. On April 6, 2020, Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Timothy Witkowiak blocked Karofsky's injunction against the ads on the grounds of unlawful prior restraint.
In keeping with her marathon hobby, on August 1, 2020, Judge Karofsky was sworn into office following the thirty-fifth mile of an "ultramarathon," by Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Rebecca Dallet in a ceremony also attended by former governor Jim Doyle. She then ran another sixty-five miles.
Personal life
A single mother of two children, Karofsky lives in Middleton, Wisconsin. She is a marathon runner and Ironman triathlete.
