Friday, Dec. 2, 2022
Did Wisconsin judge Jennifer Dorow call a pro-LGBTQ ruling ‘judicial activism at its worst’?
Waukesha County Circuit Judge Jennifer Dorow called the 2003 Lawrence v. Texas decision by the U.S. Supreme Court "a prime example of judicial activism at its worst" in her application to be appointed judge.
In that case, the high court ruled that a Texas law criminalizing consensual sexual conduct between same-sex individuals was unconstitutional because it violated the due process clause of the 14th Amendment. Dorow said the court "went well beyond the four corners of the U.S. Constitution to declare a new constitutional right," including by citing precedents from other countries.
In October, Dorow presided over the jury trial of the man convicted of killing six people during the 2021 Waukesha Christmas parade, sentencing him to life without parole. She recently announced her candidacy for the Wisconsin Supreme Court. The primary will be Feb. 21, with the final election on April 4, 2023.
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
- Wisconsin Justice Initiative Jennifer R. Dorow
- Cornell Lawrence v. Texas
- AP News Parade killings judge running for Wisconsin Supreme Court
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