What to know about Jennifer Dorow, the judge in the Darrell Brooks Waukesha Christmas Parade attack trial
Editor's note: On Oct. 26, 2022, Darrell Brooks was found guilty on all counts in the Waukesha Christmas Parade attack. On Nov. 16, Judge Jennifer Dorow sentenced him to six consecutive life terms and an additional 762 years in prison. See the latest coverage here.
The Waukesha Christmas parade trial of Darrell Brooks is underway. Brooks faces 76 criminal charges, including six felony counts of first-degree intentional homicide charges and 61 felony counts of first-degree recklessly endangering safety — all referencing those who were either killed or injured in the Nov. 21 parade last year.
Already, Brooks has been removed from the courtroom several times, and the recipient of Brooks' outbursts, Waukesha County Circuit Judge Jennifer Dorow, has become a familiar face for those following the trial.
Jennifer Dorow, the judge in the Waukesha Christmas Parade attack trial, graduated from Marquette and Regent University School of Law
Dorow, 51, is a graduate of Marquette University and Regent University School of Law. She has been licensed to practice law in Wisconsin since 1996.
She serves as the chief judge of the 3rd Judicial Administrative District.
Dorow is married to Brian Dorow, who has previously worked as a city of Waukesha police supervisor and served as former dean of criminal justice, homeland security and counter-terrorism at Waukesha County Technical College. He also served as a deputy assistant secretary in a national security position in Washington, D.C., and currently owns his own security company.
He also ran for a state Senate seat in the 33rd District during a 2015 special election. He is planning to open a firing range in the city of Delafield after receiving common council approval last spring.
How long has Dorow been a judge?
She was appointed to the bench in Waukesha County by Scott Walker in December 2011. Since then, she has been re-elected to her position in 2012 and 2018. Her term expires in 2024.
What other positions has she held?
Prior to becoming a judge, Dorow served as an assistant district attorney in Waukesha County before going into private practice with Huppertz & Dorow, S.C. She replaced Mark Gundrum on the bench, whom Walker appointed to the state Court of Appeals.
Has she presided over other high-profile cases?
The Waukesha Christmas Parade trial is the first case garnering significant media attention that Dorow has adjudicated.
However, she is presiding over the case of a teen accused late last year of robbing and sexually assaulting an 87-year-old woman outside the Waukesha Public Library. That incident happened shortly after the parade attack.
She has also presided over some locally noteworthy cases, including one involving a potential Waukesha County juror who walked out on jury duty early because he did not feel safe with courthouse COVID-19 protocols at the time.
The parade attack trial is scheduled to run through Oct. 28. Prosecutors said it would take about five to seven days to make their case due to a lengthy list of witnesses. Dorow ruled that all witnesses will be isolated from other testimony in the case until after they've given their own testimony. That means victims who have yet to testify are not allowed to watch the trial.
More:'You're a freakin' saint': Fan mail poured in for Judge Dorow during Waukesha parade trial
Drew Dawson can be reached at ddawson@jrn.com or 262-289-1324.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Jennifer Dorow is judge in the Darrell Brooks Waukesha parade trial
