Judge goes off ‘This court smells like weed every day. Anybody who thinks it’s a good idea to get high before coming to court needs a reality check’

FOX6 News Milwaukee framed it like a question everyone understood the second they heard it: “What is that smell?” Anchors Ben Handelman and Kim Murphy said the big story was a Milwaukee County judge going off over a lingering odor of marijuana inside the courthouse, and they made it clear it wasn’t limited to one room or one quick moment.

Reporter Abril Preciado picked up the story from there and said people she spoke with at the Milwaukee County Courthouse described the marijuana smell as pretty common. The odor may be strong, she added, but so was the judge’s message.

At the center of it was Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge David Borowski, who addressed the smell during a sentencing hearing and didn’t soften a single word.

“I’m gonna say I’m not thrilled that my courtroom smells like marijuana,” Borowski said, in audio Preciado aired, adding that the hallway outside his courtroom also smelled like marijuana.

Then he made it personal to the setting. “It’s inappropriate,” Borowski said. “It’s still illegal, and anybody thinks it’s a good idea to get high before you come to court really needs a reality orientation.”

He called the situation a “side note” to the sentencing itself, but he also said it shows what things are “coming to in this community,” because, as he put it, the courthouse smells like weed every day, with the courtroom bad and the hallway worse.

A Courthouse Smell That’s Hard To Ignore

Preciado described a mix of reactions from visitors, with some describing the odor in vivid, almost sensory language. Heatherly Sun Fox told Preciado it was like a “strong earthy smell,” the kind you notice and then can’t un-notice once your brain registers it.

Fox said she walked through the tunnel to enter the courthouse and could smell it, which matters because it suggests the odor isn’t just drifting from one person in one corner. It’s apparently present in common entry areas, where people line up and pass through security.

Rodney Tranberg, another courthouse visitor, told Preciado it’s a smell he’s noticed in other places too, like restaurants and taverns, which he described as becoming more common. Then he gave his own comparison: “kind of like rotten skunks,” he said, explaining that’s how he describes it.

Navpret Kaur also told Preciado she noticed it while coming in, particularly around the security line and when walking through hallways. She didn’t point to one specific location, but she described it as something you catch when you walk past people, which paints a picture of a building where the smell travels with foot traffic and crowds.

Preciado’s reporting made the courthouse sound less like a sealed-off place of strict order and more like a busy public building where the outside world keeps leaking in—sometimes literally, through air.

And that’s part of why Borowski’s outburst landed so sharply. Courtrooms aren’t supposed to feel like a bar at closing time. They’re designed to signal seriousness, and a persistent weed smell clashes with that whole idea.

Judge Borowski’s Warning During A Sentencing

Preciado said Borowski’s comments came during a sentencing hearing, which is already a tense setting. A judge is deciding consequences, families may be present, lawyers are working, and defendants are often at a major turning point.

So when Borowski paused to address marijuana odor, he wasn’t doing it as casual small talk. He was treating it as a real disruption.

He said there was “an awful ton” of marijuana smell, and while he acknowledged there’s not much he can do about it in the moment, he made his view clear: it’s inappropriate, it’s illegal, and people who get high before coming to court need a “reality orientation.”

Preciado emphasized that the smell has started seeping into courtrooms, not just lingering in public spaces, and that’s where the issue turns from “annoying” to “serious.” A courthouse isn’t just a public building; it’s where people’s lives are shaped by rulings and sentences, and the environment matters more than most people want to admit.

Even if you’re the most relaxed person on earth about marijuana in general, it’s hard to argue that a courtroom should smell like someone’s pregame.

Visitors Split Between Embarrassment And Indifference

Preciado’s story wasn’t only about the judge. It also captured how normal some people say this has become, which is probably the most surprising part.

Tranberg told Preciado that if you’re coming to court, you want to come in “straight,” not “half trashed,” which is a blunt way of saying the courthouse isn’t the place for impairment, whether it’s weed or alcohol or anything else.

That comment also hints at something deeper: people expect a baseline level of respect for the setting, even if they don’t love the system. You might not enjoy going to court, but you understand it’s not a party, and showing up intoxicated is asking for trouble.

Meanwhile, Sun Fox offered a more indifferent view. She told Preciado she’s not for or against what people do with their own lives on their own time, and she described the moment as “interesting” mainly because she noticed it and now she was talking about it on the news.

That split is important because it shows why this issue is so hard for institutions to handle right now. Some people treat weed like background noise of modern life. Others see it as disrespectful, illegal, and a sign of decay in public spaces. And the courthouse is the one place where those two viewpoints collide in the most awkward way possible.

The Rule Is Clear: Smoke-Free Means Smoke-Free

Preciado also included the part that isn’t really debatable under current law. She reported that the courthouse, including all public areas, is smoke-free under Wisconsin law.

If someone is caught smoking inside, Preciado said, they could face penalties such as a fine of up to $250.

That’s not a massive penalty, but it’s enough to show the rule has teeth, and it also explains why Borowski kept repeating the phrase “still illegal.” Regardless of how common marijuana use has become culturally, the courthouse is still bound by laws and policies that say smoking isn’t allowed inside.

Preciado noted that despite no-smoking signs posted throughout the building, the smell continues to draw attention.

She also said FOX6 reached out to the district attorney’s office for comment but hadn’t heard back.

In a way, that silence fits the story. The whole issue is about something that everyone seems to notice, but nobody wants to publicly own as their problem – until a judge decides he’s had enough and says it out loud.

Why This Moment Matters More Than It Sounds

It’s easy to laugh at the headline version of this – “courthouse smells like weed” – because it sounds like a sitcom joke. But Borowski’s reaction, captured in Preciado’s report, points to something more serious: public trust.

Courts rely on people believing the process is serious even when they don’t like the outcome. When a courthouse smells like marijuana “every day,” as Borowski said, it sends a message of casualness in a place where casualness can ruin lives.

It also raises a practical question that Preciado’s reporting quietly hints at: if the smell is strong enough to seep into courtrooms, what does that say about enforcement at entrances and hallways? People have to pass through security, which is meant to catch dangerous things, but smells are harder, and the building can end up feeling like it’s absorbing what it’s supposed to keep out.

At the same time, the visitor comments Preciado collected show why the judge’s frustration resonates with some people. Even those who aren’t anti-weed don’t necessarily want the courthouse to feel like a place where people show up impaired. The stakes are too high, the consequences are too real, and the setting is supposed to demand focus.

Preciado’s story ultimately captured a courthouse reality that’s both ordinary and jarring: the smell is common, people notice it, and now a judge has put a sharp, public spotlight on it. Whether anything changes next depends on enforcement, policy choices, and how seriously officials take the embarrassment of a courthouse that, in the judge’s words, smells like weed every day.