A Slinger-raised attorney and small-business owner launched a campaign Thursday to unseat a Tony Evers appointee on the Washington County Circuit Court, arguing the deep-red county deserves a judge who applies the law as written and stops treating criminals leniently.
Nolan Jensen announced he is running for Branch 4, the seat held by Judge Sandra Giernoth. Evers appointed Giernoth in 2020 after she served as the county’s deputy district attorney. She won a full term in 2021 and will seek reelection in the April 6, 2027 spring election.
Jensen framed the race in blunt terms: public safety, constitutional integrity and judicial accountability.
“My philosophy is straightforward: I will interpret the Constitution as originally intended, apply the law as it is written, and hold criminals fully accountable for their actions,” Jensen said.
Jensen, who lives in the Town of West Bend with his wife and two children, emphasizes his roots in Washington County.
“Washington County isn’t just where I practice law; it’s where I was born, raised, and choose to live and raise my family,” he said. “I have spent my entire career fighting for what’s right, and it is my commitment to you that I will continue to fight for what’s right for you and our families.”
He grew up in Slinger, graduated from Slinger High School, earned an associate degree from the University of Wisconsin–Washington County, and a law degree from Marquette University Law School in 2015. He commuted from Slinger on the county commuter bus while in law school. After starting at a firm, he opened the Law Offices of Nolan A. Jensen LLC, a general practice handling criminal defense, juvenile cases, and estate planning.
His campaign website, Jensen4Judge.com, highlights three themes: no legislating from the bench, no “reimagining” the Constitution, and no soft policies on bond, bail, and sentencing. He says families, small businesses, and law enforcement pay the price when judges treat the law as a suggestion.
The announcement drew an unusually deep stack of local endorsements for a first-day judicial launch. Jensen is backed by Washington County Executive Josh Schoemann, District Attorney Barry Braatz, Register of Deeds Lisa Budish and Treasurer Scott Henke, as well as State Assembly members Dan Knodl, Paul Melotik and Jim Piwowarczyk, and a long list of current and former County Board supervisors.
Jensen’s counter is simpler. Experience is not the same as philosophy. He is running as a conservative who will not invent policy from the bench and will not apologize for locking up people who earn it. In a county that votes Republican by large margins, that contrast defines the race.
Wisconsin circuit court races are officially nonpartisan. Voters here have never treated them that way. After years of watching Evers stock the local bench from Madison, Washington County conservatives now have another chance to put one of their own in a black robe.
The general election is April 6, 2027. More information can be found on Jensen’s Facebook page and Jensen4Judge.com.
