Embattled Wisconsin Judge Hannah Dugan Steps Down Amid Felony Conviction Fallout
A dramatic chapter in Wisconsin’s legal and political landscape closed this weekend as Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan officially submitted her resignation. The move follows her federal conviction for felony obstruction, which resulted from a highly publicized incident involving an undocumented immigrant and federal agents inside a county courthouse.
Judge Dugan, who had been a sitting judge for the Milwaukee County Circuit Court since 2016, sent her resignation letter to the Governor on Saturday. The decision comes just weeks after a federal jury delivered a split verdict in her December trial, finding her guilty of obstructing a federal deportation proceeding. The conviction sparked immediate calls for her departure, with top Wisconsin Republicans threatening impeachment proceedings if she did not resign. State law generally bars convicted felons from holding public office.
The entire saga centers on an intense moment that unfolded inside the Milwaukee County Courthouse on April 18, 2025. Federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents were waiting outside Judge Dugan’s courtroom to arrest Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, an undocumented immigrant who was appearing on misdemeanor charges.
According to prosecutors, upon learning of the agents’ presence, Dugan confronted them and directed them to the Chief Judge’s office to discuss courthouse policy regarding administrative warrants. While the agents were occupied, the prosecution successfully argued that Dugan seized the opportunity to obstruct the arrest. Instead of allowing Flores-Ruiz to exit through the public door, witnesses and evidence showed she directed him and his attorney out a private, jury-only side door.
The swift action provided Flores-Ruiz with a head start, though he was ultimately arrested by agents at a nearby intersection after a brief foot chase. The highly unusual and dramatic confrontation quickly ignited a national debate, with critics of the administration labeling the judge’s arrest as authoritarian, while supporters viewed the conviction as a proper enforcement of the law.
The jury’s verdict on December 18, 2025, found the judge guilty of the more serious felony count of obstructing the proceeding, which carries a potential sentence of up to five years in federal prison. However, the jury acquitted her of the lesser charge of concealing an individual to prevent his discovery and arrest.
Dugan’s legal team has vowed to appeal the verdict and is currently seeking a new trial. They maintained throughout the proceedings that the judge was not acting to obstruct justice but was instead following a confusing and uncertain courthouse policy regarding federal immigration enforcement. Despite these legal maneuvers, the threat of impeachment and the constitutional prohibition on felons holding office appears to have made her position untenable, leading to her swift departure from the bench.
With her resignation now official, attention turns to the next steps. A reserve judge is expected to be appointed to handle her remaining caseload in Branch 31 of the Milwaukee County Circuit Court, while the timeline for her federal sentencing remains unannounced.