% >> THE RESULTS OF THE
% CONTROVERSIAL SPRING ELECTION IN
% WISCONSIN GRABBED HEADLINES THIS
% WEEK, MOST NOTABLY AN UPSET WIN
% IN THE WISCONSIN SUPREME COURT
% RACE.
% DANIEL KELLY BECAME ONLY THE
% THIRD INCUMBENT JUSTICE TO LOSE
% HIS SEAT ON THE COURT SINCE 1967
% AND THERE COULD BE REPERCUSSIONS
% FOR THE NOVEMBER ELECTIONS.
% DANE COUNTY JUDGE JILL KAROFSKY
% RODE A WAVE OF DEMOCRATIC
% SUPPORT TO WIN A TEN-YEAR TERM,
% CUTTING THE CONSERVATIVE
% MAJORITY IN THE TOP COURT.
% IT NOW STANDS AT 4-3.
% SHE JOINED US FROM HER HOME IN
% MADISON.
% THANKS VERY MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
% >> THANKS SO MUCH FOR HAVING ME.
% IT'S WONDERFUL TO BE WITH YOU.
% >> AND I SUPPOSE WE SHOULD SAY
% CONGRATULATIONS.
% >> THANK YOU.
% I'M VERY, VERY HUMBLED, AND I'M
% HONORED THAT I'M GOING TO BE THE
% NEXT JUSTICE ON THE WISCONSIN
% SUPREME COURT.
% >> NOW, ON ELECTION RETURN DAY,
% YOU DECLARED VICTORY LONG BEFORE
% THE ASSOCIATED PRESS CALLED THE
% ELECTION FOR YOU.
% WHAT WERE THE EARLY INDICATORS
% THAT YOU HAD WON?
% >> WE KNEW THAT WE WERE HOLDING
% OUR OWN AS FAR AS THE MARGINS IN
% THE "WOW COUNTIES" OF WAUKESHA,
% OZAUKEE AND WASHINGTON.
% WE KNEW THAT WE WERE WINNING IN
% WINNEBAGO, THAT WE WERE WINNING
% IN BROWN, AND THAT WE'RE WINNING
% IN OUTAGAMIE, WHICH I GUESS NOW
% ARE CALLED THE "BOW COUNTIES."
% SO WE WERE DOING -- HOLDING OUR
% MARGINS IN THE "WOW COUNTIES,"
% AND WE WERE DOING WELL IN THE
% "BOW COUNTIES."
% WE ALSO KNEW THAT THE VOTES IN
% MILWAUKEE, IN THE COUNTY OF
% MILWAUKEE AND THE CITY OF
% MILWAUKEE AND DANE COUNTY, AND
% PARTICULARLY MADISON, HAD NOT
% COME IN YET.
% AND THEN WE WERE ALSO STARTING
% TO SEE REALLY STRONG RETURNS
% FROM SOUTHWESTERN WISCONSIN,
% ESPECIALLY IN PLACES LIKE
% LA CROSSE.
% >> DO YOU FEEL AS THOUGH YOUR
% VICTORY OVER THE INCUMBENT, WHO
% WAS ENDORSED BY DONALD TRUMP, IS
% A BELLWETHER FOR LIBERALS IN
% NOVEMBER?
% >> I THINK OUR ELECTION IS AN
% INDICATOR THAT PEOPLE IN THE
% STATE OF WISCONSIN HEARD THE
% MESSAGE OF OUR CAMPAIGN AND THAT
% THEY WANT STATE SUPREME COURT
% JUSTICES WHO ARE COMMITTED TO
% FOLLOWING THE RULE OF LAW.
% I DON'T KNOW WHAT'S GOING TO
% HAPPEN IN NOVEMBER OR BEYOND,
% BUT I KNOW THAT IN THIS ELECTION
% THAT DESPITE EFFORTS TO SUPPRESS
% THE VOTE, PEOPLE VOTED AND THEY
% CAME OUT STRONG.
% WE WON BY OVER 10 POINTS.
% THE MESSAGE WAS LOUD AND IT WAS
% CLEAR THAT PEOPLE WANTED A
% CHANGE ON THE COURT.
% >> NOW, AS YOU'VE JUST SAID,
% PEOPLE CAME OUT TO VOTE IN
% PLACES LIKE MILWAUKEE, EVEN IN
% THE FACE OF COVID-19.
% WHAT IS YOUR KIND OF LINGERING
% RESPONSE TO THAT?
% >> FIRST OF ALL, WE NEVER SHOULD
% HAVE HAD AN ELECTION ON APRIL
% 7TH.
% PEOPLE NEVER SHOULD HAVE BEEN
% PUT IN THE POSITION WHERE THEY
% HAD TO CHOOSE BETWEEN THEIR OWN
% HEALTH AND SAFETY AND VOICING
% THEIR VOTE, HAVING THEIR VOICE
% HEARD IN THIS ELECTION.
% BUT PEOPLE WERE WILLING TO DO
% THAT.
% PEOPLE BRAVED COVID-19.
% THEY WORE MASKS AND THEY WORE
% GLOVES AND THEY WENT TO THE
% POLLING PLACES.
% AND LOOKING AT THOSE PICTURES
% MADE ME CRY.
% THINKING ABOUT THOSE PICTURES
% RIGHT NOW MAKES ME FEEL VERY,
% VERY EMOTIONAL
% FOR WHAT THOSE PEOPLE DID.
% IT IS CLEAR THAT WHAT PEOPLE
% WANT ON THIS IS -- IN THIS STATE
% IS A COURT THAT IS NOT PARTISAN,
% BUT A COURT THAT HAS JUSTICES ON
% IT WHO ARE COMMITTED TO
% FOLLOWING THE LAW.
% >> IN THE MIDST OF THIS
% PANDEMIC, WOULD YOU SUPPORT
% MOVING TO MAIL-IN VOTING IN LIEU
% OF IN-PERSON GOING FORWARD?
% >> I THINK, AND I'VE SAID THIS
% IN THE CAMPAIGN, THAT WE NEED TO
% DO WHATEVER WE CAN TO TRY TO
% MAKE IT EASIER FOR PEOPLE TO
% PARTICIPATE IN ELECTIONS AND NOT
% MORE DIFFICULT FOR PEOPLE TO
% PARTICIPATE IN ELECTIONS.
% AND, LIKE I SAID, WE SHOULDN'T
% HAVE HAD AN ELECTION ON APRIL
% 7TH.
% WE SHOULD HAVE HAD AN ELECTION
% WHERE PEOPLE COULD EXERCISE
% THEIR RIGHT TO VOTE IN A WAY
% THAT WOULD BE SAFE FOR THEM AND
% SAFE FOR MEMBERS OF THEIR
% FAMILY, AND WE DIDN'T HAVE THAT.
% >> HOW DO YOU EXPECT TO GROW
% COLLEGIALITY ON THE COURT,
% ESPECIALLY GIVEN THE ANIMOSITY
% BORN OF THIS PAST ELECTION?
% >> I DON'T THINK IT'S GOING TO
% BE A PROBLEM.
% SEVERAL OF THE JUSTICES HAVE
% ALREADY REACHED OUT TO ME.
% I THINK, LIKE I HAVE SAID
% BEFORE, THERE ARE GOING TO BE
% AREAS WHERE WE AGREE, THERE ARE
% GOING TO BE AREAS WHERE WE
% DISAGREE, BUT I'M LOOKING
% FORWARD TO THE SOCIAL DISTANCING
% BEING OVER SO I CAN SIT DOWN
% WITH EACH OF MY COLLEAGUES OVER
% A CUP OF COFFEE OR A GOOD
% WISCONSIN BEER AND WE CAN PUT
% OUR DIFFERENCES ASIDE SO WE CAN
% DO THE WORK THAT THE PEOPLE OF
% WISCONSIN ELECTED US TO DO.
% >> THIS QUESTION ON YOUR
% CAMPAIGN, THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY
% GAVE YOU $1.3 MILLION.
% DO YOU BELIEVE YOU WOULD HAVE TO
% RECUSE IN ANY CASE THAT CAME
% BEFORE THE COURT
% INVOLVING THE PARTY?
% >> I HAVE SAID, AND I WILL KEEP
% THIS PROMISE, THAT IF THE
% DEMOCRATIC PARTY OF WISCONSIN IS
% A LITIGANT, IS A PARTY IN A CASE
% THAT COMES TO THE WISCONSIN
% STATE SUPREME COURT, I WILL NOT
% SIT ON THAT CASE.
% >> EVEN WITH YOUR ELECTION TO
% THE SUPREME COURT, CONSERVATIVES
% STILL HOLD A MAJORITY.
% WHAT DOES A MORE EVEN SPLIT
% MEAN, IF ANYTHING, FOR DECISIONS
% TO COME?
% >> I THINK THAT THE COURT, WITH
% THE WAY THINK THAT IT'S
% STRUCTURED NOW, WITH THE
% JUSTICES ON IT, THAT THERE COULD
% BE LOTS OF OPPORTUNITIES FOR US
% TO HAVE SOME INCREDIBLY
% MEANINGFUL AND IMPORTANT
% CONVERSATIONS ABOUT WHAT THE LAW
% SAYS, WHAT THE LAW MEANS, AND
% WHAT OUR OPINIONS OUGHT TO SAY.
% AND I AM REALLY LOOKING FORWARD
% TO HAVING THOSE DISCUSSIONS AND
% TO BEING PART OF THOSE OPINIONS
% FROM THE COURT.
% >> ALL RIGHT.
% WELL, JUSTICE-ELECT JILL
% KAROFSKY, THANKS SO MUCH FOR
% JOINING US.
% >> THANK YOU SO MUCH.
% I REALLY APPRECIATE IT.
% STAY WELL.