Man Who Allegedly Stalked Wisconsin Supreme Court Chief Justice Gets Probation In A Plea Deal

CBS Minnesota

January 7, 2026 / 8:32 AM CST

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 in Dane County with stalking and misdemeanor counts of intimidating a victim and disorderly conduct. Prosecutors dismissed the stalking count on Monday 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.

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