Contact:
Judge Nolan-Plutchak Campaign
info@judgenolanplutchak.com
www.judgenolanplutchak.com
715-575-3584
Wood County Circuit Court Judge Emily Nolan-Plutchak is running for a full six-year term on the Wood County Circuit Court. Judge Nolan-Plutchak will be on the non-partisan ballot in the April 7, 2026 election.
In Wisconsin, Judges are appointed when vacancies in the Courts occur. Judge Emily Nolan-Plutchak was appointed Wood County Judge, Branch 3, filling the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Todd P. Wolf. In addition to handling a wide variety of cases as Judge, she presides over the Wood County Drug Treatment Court. She is the first woman to serve as a Circuit Court Judge in Wood County.
Her appointment to the Judgeship drew broad, bi-partisan support including letters of support from Wood County Sheriff Shawn Becker, former State Public Defender Kelli Thompson, and Chief Judge of the Ho-Chunk Nation Jo Deen Lowe.
“It is an honor to serve all the people of Wood County as a judge,” Judge Nolan-Plutchak said. “My commitment to the residents of this beautiful county is straightforward: As a judge, I make decisions based on the facts and the law, I treat all who come before me with respect, I work collaboratively to strengthen and improve the criminal justice system, and I serve with a deep appreciation for the rule of law.”
Judge Nolan-Plutchak has deep roots in Wood County. For nearly two decades, she served as a public defender in Wood County and central Wisconsin. In addition to handling thousands of cases, she was also the local attorney manager in the Wisconsin Rapids office of the Wisconsin State Public Defender.
Active in numerous community and professional organizations, Judge Nolan-Plutchak was a board member for Three Bridges Recovery, The Wisconsin Raptors Youth Football League, and a past member of the Grove Elementary School Parent Group, and the Enlarged Vestibular Aqueduct (EVA) Syndrome Group. She was also a leader of the Preemie Mom Group in Wisconsin Rapids.
Judge Nolan-Plutchak is nationally known for her work on Drug Treatment Courts. She is the former president of the Wisconsin Association of Treatment Court Professionals, served as a drug court member in Wood County (2007-2025), and worked with the National Association of Drug Court Professionals (NADCP) to write Wisconsin’s State Treatment Court Standards.
Judge Nolan-Plutchak is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin–Madison and Marquette University Law School. She is a single mom of twins, Declan and Rylan, seventh graders at Wisconsin Rapids Area Middle School. The family, including dogs Finnegan and Noelle, lives in Wisconsin Rapids.
