Milwaukee courthouse marijuana odor draws criticism from judge

MILWAUKEE - A Milwaukee County judge publicly criticized the lingering smell of marijuana inside the Milwaukee County Courthouse during a sentencing hearing on Thursday, Feb. 26.

What we know:

Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge David Borowski addressed the odor in his courtroom and the hallway outside during court proceedings.

"I'm going to say, I'm not thrilled that my courtroom smells like marijuana," Borowski said. "And the hallway outside my courtroom smells like marijuana. Awful ton of marijuana. There's nothing I can do about that, but it's inappropriate. It's still illegal. And anybody that thinks it's a good idea to get high before you come to court really needs a reality orientation. That's a side note. It has nothing to do with the sentencing, but that's what it's coming to in this community, that this courthouse smells like weed every day. And the courtroom is bad, the hallway's worse."

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The courthouse, including all public areas, is smoke-free under Wisconsin law.

Anyone caught smoking could face penalties, including a fine of up to $250.

Local perspective:

People at the courthouse Thursday said the smell is common and becoming more noticeable.

"It's just a very strong earthy smell," said Heatherly Sun Fox. "I walked in through the tunnel to enter the courthouse today and I did smell the smell."

"It's strong. I've smelled it at restaurants and taverns," said Rodney Tranberg. "Kinda like rotten skunk, that's the way that I describe it."

Others said they noticed the odor while entering the building.

What they're saying:

"When you walk in, it's like, security line, like, you know, people are coming in," Navpret Kaur said. "I wouldn't say particular places, but definitely when you walk past people in the hallway."

Despite no-smoking signs posted throughout the building, the odor continues to draw attention.

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"If you're coming in for court, you want to come in straight, I mean, not half trashed," said Tranberg.

"I'm pretty open about how people choose to use plants, so I'm not for or against what people are doing with their own livelihood," Sun Fox said. "But it really was interesting to me that I noticed it today and now I'm here talking about it."

Dig deeper:

FOX6 News reached out to the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office for comment but has not yet heard back.