The Waukesha Christmas Parade Trial by Darrell Brooks is underway. Brooks faces 76 criminal charges, including six counts of first-degree intentional homicide and 61 counts of first-degree reckless endangerment of security – all referring to those who were killed or injured during the November 21 parade last year.
Already, Brooks has been repeatedly removed from the courtroomand the recipient of Brooks’ explosions, Waukesha County Circuit Judge Jennifer Dorowhas become a familiar face to those following the trial.
Who is Jennifer Dorow, the judge in the Waukesha Christmas Parade bombing trial?
Dorow is a graduate of Marquette University and Regent University School of Law. She has been licensed to practice law in Wisconsin since 1996.
She is the Chief Judge of the 3rd Judicial Administrative District.
Dorow is married to Brian Dorow, who previously worked as a Waukesha City Police Supervisor and served as the former Dean of Criminal Justice, Homeland Security and Counterterrorism at Waukesha County Technical College. He also served as a deputy assistant secretary in a national security post in Washington, DC, and currently owns his own security company.
He also ran for a state senate seat in the 33rd district in a 2015 special election. He is plans to open a shooting range in the town of Delafield after receiving City Council approval last spring.
How long has Dorow been a judge?
She was appointed to the Waukesha County Judiciary by Scott Walker in December 2011. She has since been re-elected to her post 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 entering private practice at Huppertz & Dorow, SC. 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 lawsuit is the first case to gain media attention that Dorow has spoken out on.
However, she is presiding over the case of a teenager charged late last year with robbing and sexually assaulting an 87-year-old woman outside the Waukesha Public Library. This incident occurred shortly after the attack on the parade.
She has also presided over some notable local cases, including one involving a potential Waukesha County juror who left jury duty early because he felt unsafe with courthouse COVID-19 protocols at the time.
The parade attack trial is scheduled to run until October 28. Prosecutors said it would take about five to seven days to argue their case due to a long list of witnesses. Dorow has decided that all witnesses will be isolated from other testimony in the case until they have given their own testimony. This means that victims who have not yet testified are not allowed to attend the trial.
5th day of trial:An altercation occurs between Darrell Brooks and deputies over COVID test result
Day 4 of the trial:Brooks used the SUV as a ‘battering ram’, prosecutors say in opening statements
Drew Dawson can be reached at [email protected] or 262-289-1324.
