About Candice C.M.
Candice C.M. Tlustosch has spent the last decade on the bench in La Crosse County. She took her seat as judge of Branch 5 of the La Crosse County Circuit Court in 2015. Her role puts her at the center of local civil and criminal dockets, where she manages trials, motions and routine judicial business.
She earned her law degree from the University of Wisconsin Law School, receiving a J.D. in 2005. Before law school, she completed undergraduate studies at Concordia College–Moorhead, where she graduated in 2002 with a B.A. that included work in philosophy, apparel and design, and economics. Those varied academic interests feed into a pragmatic approach to legal questions that come before her court.
Tlustosch holds admission in multiple jurisdictions. She is licensed in Wisconsin and Minnesota, and she is also admitted to practice before the United States District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin. Those credentials reflect a practice background that spans state and federal procedures, and they provide the formal basis for the matters she hears and the orders she issues.
Her public record shows the start of her judicial service in 2015 when she became judge in Branch 5 of the La Crosse County Circuit Court. Serving on a county circuit bench requires steady docket management and frequent rulings on evidentiary and procedural questions. In that role she presides over arraignments, bench and jury trials, sentencing hearings, civil disputes and family law matters as assigned to her branch.
Peers and court staff describe the work of the position as detail-oriented and demanding. The day-to-day responsibilities require clear written opinions and oral rulings that explain decisions to parties and attorneys. In court, she applies state law and local rules to resolve disputes and manage litigation efficiently. Her current practice focuses on her judicial duties in La Crosse County Circuit Court Branch 5.
