HRC announced its endorsement of Judge Jill Karofsky in her bid for Wisconsin Supreme Court.

Throughout her time in the judiciary, Judge Karofsky has proven herself to be a judge who focuses on fairness and equality. In an interview with WUWM, Karofsky described her judicial philosophy: 

"My judicial philosophy is that every single person in my courtroom should be treated with dignity and respect and fairness, that the rule of law has to be followed in every case, whether or not I personally agree with that. Anyone who comes into my courtroom can see that I look at the law, I apply it to the facts of the case and I apply it in a fair and equal way, no matter who is in my courtroom."

Over the coming weeks, HRC will be devoting significant resources to turning out the 675,000 Equality Voters across the state of Wisconsin to ensure pro-equality leaders like Judge Karofsky are elected to office. 

“Wisconsin is at a turning point. Leaders like Judge Karofsky are exactly what Wisconsin needs to create a more just and equal state,” said HRC Wisconsin State Director Wendy Strout. “Her dedication to equality and fairness and commitment to uprooting corruption make her uniquely qualified to serve on the Wisconsin Supreme Court. The Human Rights Campaign is proud to endorse Judge Karofsky.”

“This campaign is about upholding the law and defending the rights of all, not just the privileged few,” said Judge Jill Karofsky. “I’m honored to have the endorsement of one the nation’s largest civil rights organizations and appreciate the support of the Human Rights Campaign and its members.”

HRC has prioritized investments and organizing in Wisconsin since 2017, and had 17 staff on the ground in the state in the closing weeks of the 2018 election. In the midterm elections, HRC members and supporters completed over 1,480 volunteer shifts. In the final four days of GOTV alone, our staff and volunteers knocked on over 11,300 doors. Members and supporters also sent over 52,000 text messages to voters in the final weeks with voting resources. Since launching, we've helped over 1,500 Wisconsinites register to vote by mail, online, and at in-person events. HRC hosted 22 Equality Action Academy trainings to give HRC members and supporters the tools they need to take action locally in legislative advocacy and in support of pro-equality candidates.

In the 2018 midterms, HRC helped register more than 32,000 voters and recruited more than 4,200 volunteers, who worked over 8,500 shifts and clocked more than 30,000 volunteer hours. In the critical final four days of the campaign, HRC staff and volunteers in get-out-the-vote efforts alone knocked on more than 80,000 doors, and held 36,400 conversations with voters at their doors and by phone on behalf of our endorsed candidates. HRC's unprecedented grassroots mobilization represented an investment of approximately $26 million to recruit volunteers, mobilize constituents, register voters and grow the organization's grassroots army in an all-out effort to pull the emergency brake on the hateful anti-LGBTQ agenda of the Trump-Pence administration and elect a Congress that would hold them accountable.