Alumna announces run for Isabella County probate judge
Sara Spencer-Noggle.
Central Michigan University alumna Sara Spencer-Noggle wants to make it easier for students to acquire an attorney when charged with a crime. She plans on doing that by running for office.
Spencer-Noggle announced her candidacy for Isabella County probate judge on Jan. 29.
“I am committed to opening the doors to the courthouse for everyone who needs it, including students,” Spencer-Noggle said. “And that means making it easier for students to have access to attorneys.”
The position of probate judge, currently held by William T. Ervin, will soon be open after Ervin retires Dec. 31. Probate court oversees matters involving divorce and custody, child abuse and neglect, juvenile offenses, mental illness and estate matters.
“I see how hard it is sometimes for students who need an attorney when they’re charged with a crime. How hard it is for them to get a public defender or retain their own attorney,” Spencer-Noggle said. “I want to work to make that easier for them.”
Spencer-Noggle graduated from CMU in 1998 and earned her master’s degree in political science in 2001. She also attended law school at Michigan State University — graduating in the top 1 percent of her class.
"I'd like to expand baby court and expand other programming to help families who are recovering from substance abuse and parents with mental health issues, in order to assist in re-unifying them with their children," she said.
Spencer-Noggle has been employed as a prehearing attorney at the Michigan Court of Appeals and as an assistant prosecuting attorney in Isabella County. She currently operates the private law office of Spencer Law Group PLLC in downtown Mount Pleasant.
Spencer-Noggle said her ties to CMU run deep. She has been in the Mount Pleasant area since 1995. Her husband, Robert, is a professor in the philosophy department.
