Racine man sentenced in case over emails sent to a Wisconsin Supreme Court justice (D) [View all]

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A Wisconsin man accused of sending the state Supreme Court’s chief justice intimidating emails has been sentenced to probation after prosecutors dropped a felony stalking charge.

Ryan Thornton, 37, of Racine, was initially charged in October 2025 in Dane County with stalking and misdemeanor counts of intimidating a victim and disorderly conduct. Prosecutors dismissed the stalking count on Jan. 5 in exchange for Thornton pleading guilty to the misdemeanors.

According to a criminal complaint, Thornton sent Chief Justice Jill Karofsky emails this past fall accusing her of being manipulative, telling her to “eject” herself from office and asking for her home address.

Karofsky told investigators that Thornton’s messages frightened her to the point she was afraid to leave her house to get her mail and asked police to escort her to her seat during a Milwaukee Brewers game and a Wisconsin Badgers game.



https://pbswisconsin.org/news-item/racine-man-sentenced-in-case-over-emails-sent-to-a-wisconsin-supreme-court-justice/