bit.

>> In a tragic metric.

There were 101 fatalities in Wisconsin last year related to domestic and family violence.

60 of them were domestic violence homicides.

That sad tally from the just released and Abuse Wisconsin annual report for people seeking safety.

There is a new and more easily accessible system in Wisconsin to submit petitions for domestic abuse and harassment, temporary restraining orders.

It's an online portal allowing the forms to go directly to circuit courts.

Wisconsin Supreme Court Chief Justice Jill Karofsky says the state court system stands ready to help those in need.

She joins us now.

And Chief Justice, thanks very much for being here.

>> Thank you for having me this morning.

Good morning.

>> So in advocating for this new online system, you also said it takes an act of courage to file for one of these restraining orders.

How so?

What are the dynamics there?

>> Yeah, it truly does take an act of courage.

You know, before I was on the Supreme Court and the circuit court, I spent years, really decades of my career dedicated to helping victims of crime.

When they came forward to make a report or engage with the justice system.

And if there is one thing that all of those victims taught me is that it truly does take an act of courage to come forward and to ask the justice system for help.

And so what this online portal will do is to make it easier for people when they do come forward and they ask us for help that they so desperately need.

>> Because they will be able to do so from their laptop, their phone, and they don't have to go into a courthouse proper to do that.

>> Yeah.

Exactly.

Right.

So just with just with their telephone, they can get on a website and the website is Ashok o dot w I courts.gov.

And when you get on that website, it walks you through in a very user friendly way, all the things that you need to be putting into a petition for a temporary restraining order in a harassment or a domestic violence case.

If you forget to fill something out, it reminds you if you feel something out incorrectly.

It helps correct you.

So yes, you don't have to get in your car and go to the courthouse.

You don't have to get childcare.

You don't have to take a break or a leave from your job in order to do that.

You don't have to deal with parking.

But in addition to that, it is a user friendly application so that when you are finally filing your petition, it is complete and thorough and makes it much more likely that a judge or a commissioner isn't going to say, hey, you didn't fill this out correctly.

>> What role did you play in getting this online portal up and going?

>> You know, I, I worked with the members of the court system.

There was a big, big group, obviously, in a project like this.

We had to apply for the application with the federal government.

We then had a test period where we tested in a number of counties to see what was working and what wasn't working, and what needed to be changed.

There were attorneys who helped us.

There were advocates who helped us.

There were many, many court staff here in the in the at the Director of State Courts Office who helped us as well.

It was really a very much a group project.

>> How effective are restraining orders in people, keeping people safe?

>> You know, it's a really, really good question.

And you do hear from time to time someone saying it's just a piece of paper.

However, I do believe that we need to use absolutely everything in our arsenal that we can when it comes to protecting people who are looking to the court system for help and protection and for safety.

And this is absolutely one way where the court system will say to another individual, look, you have been harassing someone, you have been abusing someone, you have been violent towards someone.

We see that and we are telling you to stop that right now and do not have contact with that person.

>> Reading the annual report from Antabuse, Wisconsin.

How shocking is that?

>> I have read and abuse reports for decades and it is sobering.

Every single year.

It is sobering.

There are so many people who are unnecessarily losing their lives, and there are children who are losing their their mothers and and sometimes their fathers.

I think that I have been involved in this in this fight against domestic abuse of most of my career.

And there are good people in Wisconsin who have joined arms and continue to fight against the scourge of domestic abuse.

And I'm not I'm never going to give up trying to abate it, as I know others are not going to give up either.

>> What is your message to people in unsafe situations?

>> The court system is here for you.

We are here to greet you with open arms.

We are going to do things to try to lower the barriers so that when you come to the court system looking for help, you can get the help that you need.

We understand that it does take an act of courage, and we understand that when you're in the situation of making these decisions, it is very likely one of the most difficult days of your life.

But we are here and we are going to continue to be here for you.

>> Chief Justice Jill Karofsky, thanks very much.

>> Thank you so much.

>> In science News this week, UW-Madison physics week, UW-Madison physics