WAUKESHA — Waukesha County Circuit Judge Jennifer Dorow has been called a “rock star,” winning praise from all over the country and even beyond for the way she presided over the trial of Darrell Brooks Jr., who drove his SUV through the Waukesha Christmas Parade on Nov. 21, 2021.
Brooks was convicted of killing six people that day. Dorow sentenced him to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
In a whirlwind of a year, Dorow said she has kept busy at work and at home with her three kids and husband.
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“It has just gotten busier and trying to fit a lot more in a 24-hour cycle,” Dorow said.
And she shows no signs of slowing down. Dorow officially announced her candidacy for the Wisconsin Supreme Court on Wednesday at the Waukesha County Courthouse.
Despite her new celebrity, she remains grounded by her faith.
“Every morning I get up and do the same thing five days a week. I start with getting up, making a cup of coffee and reading my Bible on an app. I spend some time in prayer and really focus on being grateful and thankful and I carry that into my day. Every day,” Dorow said.
Dorow is thankful for being recognized for excellence in her field. She is also grateful for being noticed for doing something that touches people and makes a difference.
During Halloween many women dressed up as the raven-haired judge, complete with dark glasses. Dorow said she was blown away by the costumes and had a personal connection to them. One of her friends invited Dorow to her Halloween party. “She surprised me at the party dressed up as me. I had no idea and she made me cry. That was really touching,” she said.
Her friend had a sign that read “Vote for Judge Jennifer Dorow for Supreme Court.”
It isn’t just her friends and family who have been extremely supportive but also her colleagues in the courthouse. From clerks to judges, there have been a ton of people who stepped up to give her a hand as she went through the Brooks trial.
“In some way all my colleagues did something for me. (Waukesha County Circuit Court) Judge (Ralph) Ramirez, I affectionally call him my big brother on the bench, he checked up on me every single day. We would bounce ideas off each other. There were so many others. It is such a great place to work,” Dorow said.
She added the Waukesha County Courthouse is full of people who are like one big wonderful family.
“That really made a difference and helped tremendously,” she said.
Throwing her hat in the ring
Dorow has contemplated a Wisconsin Supreme Court run for many years but the timing was just not right. Now conservative Justice Patience Roggensack is retiring, which creates the open seat.
“Without the outpouring of support and encouragement I probably would not have thought about it at this time. When people start recognizing your work and qualifications and this is something you are not only capable of and should do ... you have to stop and listen to that,” she said.
Dorow spoke with her husband Brian and family at length and prayed on it.
“In the end I felt this was something that I very much needed to do,” she said.
She added she has always loved her work, and feels it is not a career but a calling.
“I love what I do and I feel the same way about this (Supreme Court), to run for this position and to understand the importance of it for the state of Wisconsin,” Dorow said.
Dorow, 52, is a former criminal defense attorney and assistant district attorney who was appointed to the bench by former Gov. Scott Walker. She has been elected twice and is active in the Republican Party in Waukesha County.
This is her first time running for a statewide office.
Presiding over Branch 2 of Waukesha County Circuit Court, Dorow is currently chair of the committee of chief judges. Dorow said her chair position coupled with her years of experience as a prosecutor and private practice attorney has brought her to this point.
She thanks her husband, colleagues, friends, family, political leaders and the public for their encouragement.
“I think everyone saw what I did over the past six weeks, and highlighted my judicial aptitude and encouraged me to do this,” she said.
From aspirations of journalism to a judgeship
Dorow’s first aspiration was to be a journalist, specifically a television news reporter. She went to college, did a few internships and somewhere along the way became a little less interested in the field. Moving away from her family and friends and going to smaller television markets and trying to work her way up to bigger markets lost its appeal. She felt a calling to attend law school.
“My mom had been someone who, while I was in high school, was involved in a ministry to public schools and I was drawn to the First Amendment, religious liberty and legal issues. It is what drew me to law school. While I was in law school, I absolutely fell in love with criminal law,” she said.
Dorow had an internship with a prosecuting attorney’s office. She told herself she would come back home and work in the Waukesha County District Attorney’s Office.
“That was my goal and it took a little bit of time but ultimately I got hired there. As they say, the rest is history,” Dorow said.
All along she has always enjoyed being a student of the law and was a research assistant for one of her professors.
“He (the professor) really encouraged me to consider looking at the judiciary. It’s funny because my mom remembers him telling me that. I kept it in the back of my mind. As I became a litigator and you are exposed to judges who are on the bench ... more and more I was drawn to it. I thought ‘I could do that,’ and ‘I think I would be good at it,’” she said.
As a judge, Dorow said, you get to touch people’s lives and most of the time it is when someone is going through a challenging time. She finds it rewarding to make a difference in the community and doing so with excellent adherence to the rules of the law. “There are so many ways you can touch people’s lives through the legal system,” she said. Every day is a new day and as a judge she has to be on her toes. No two cases are the same, she noted.
There is a judge rotation system in the Waukesha County Courthouse so at one time a judge could be dealing with criminal, family, civil and other types of cases. Dorow likes to learn as much as she can to dig into a case and be prepared.
Watches crime shows
Dorow likes to spend time with her family and friends when she isn’t busy on the bench.
She strives to exercise, which she admits can be hit or miss at times. If she is really stressed, she will take her two dogs for a walk.
“They are amazing and love you unconditionally and put a smile on my face,” she said.
She loves to unwind by watching television and movies.
She has made it a mission to watch all of the “NCIS” episodes from the beginning. She loves crime shows and admits people might assume given her job that she wouldn’t. Dorow also enjoys “The Lincoln Lawyer” and “The Crown.”
She doesn’t argue at the screen, but she does yell at times like at a football game.
“It is so I can unwind so my brain can focus on something else or not focusing. I enjoy TV and making sure I take care of myself,” Dorow said.
Dorow added “NCIS” hasn’t been the same since Gibbs left.
