Wisconsin Judge Hannah Dugan submitted her resignation Saturday after a federal jury convicted her of helping an illegal immigrant escape arrest inside a Milwaukee courthouse.
Dugan sent her letter to Democratic Gov. Tony Evers as Republican lawmakers prepared impeachment proceedings against her, the Associated Press reported. A spokesperson for Evers said the governor received the letter and will move quickly to fill her seat.
A federal jury found Dugan guilty of felony obstruction on Dec. 19. Prosecutors said she confronted immigration officers outside her courtroom last April and led 31-year-old Mexican national Eduardo Flores-Ruiz through a private jury door while agents waited nearby. (RELATED: Wisconsin Judge Who Allegedly Helped Illegal Evade ICE Agents Loses Bid To Drop Charges)
Officers had arrived at the Milwaukee County courthouse to arrest Flores-Ruiz, who had reentered the country illegally and faced a state battery charge. Dugan told agents their administrative warrant did not give them authority to make the arrest and sent them to speak with the chief judge.
BREAKING: Hannah Dugan is resigning immediately as a Milwaukee County judge after her felony obstruction conviction pic.twitter.com/l3fgvAm5ti
— Matt Smith (@mattsmith_news) January 3, 2026
After the officers left, she escorted Flores-Ruiz and his lawyer through a back exit. Agents spotted him in the hallway and chased him outside before making the arrest. Federal officials deported him in November.
In her resignation letter, Dugan called the federal case against her “unprecedented” and said it posed “immense and complex challenges that threaten the independence of our judiciary.”
Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos applauded her decision.
“I’m glad Dugan did the right thing by resigning and followed the clear direction from the Wisconsin Constitution,” Vos said.
Democrat Ann Jacobs, chair of the Wisconsin Elections Commission board, defended Dugan on social media.
“Despite her situation, she is ever the champion of justice, wanting to remove the judiciary from a political battle over her fate,” Jacobs wrote.