Milwaukee, Wisconsin — Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan resigned effective immediately after her felony obstruction conviction, saying the ongoing federal case had become a distraction to the court and urging state officials to swiftly appoint a replacement to avoid a partisan vacancy.
Dugan submitted her resignation letter to Democratic Gov. Tony Evers on Saturday, just weeks after a federal jury convicted her of obstructing federal agents during an attempted immigration arrest at the Milwaukee County Courthouse. Republicans had already signaled plans to pursue impeachment proceedings following the Dec. 19 conviction.
In her letter, Dugan said she was stepping aside to protect the functioning and independence of the judiciary, noting that the federal proceedings against her were “unprecedented” and ongoing. She cited more than a decade on the bench handling thousands of cases and said her decision was meant to prevent her courtroom from becoming a political battleground.
The conviction stemmed from an April 2025 incident in which prosecutors said Dugan distracted federal immigration agents seeking to arrest Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, an undocumented immigrant scheduled to appear in her courtroom. Authorities alleged she directed agents away and later escorted Flores-Ruiz and his attorney through a private exit. Agents ultimately apprehended him after a foot chase outside the courthouse.
Republican leaders praised the resignation as constitutionally appropriate, while Democrats argued the case was used by the Trump administration to make an example of a judge amid its expanded immigration enforcement. Gov. Evers’s office said it will move quickly to fill the vacancy.
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