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Wisconsin Judge Hannah Dugan has resigned, sending a resignation letter to Gov. Tony Evers after she was convicted last month of felony obstruction tied to an immigrant arrest, according to Dugan’s letter and a spokesperson for the governor.
The letter was sent Saturday, and a spokesperson for Evers said the governor’s office received it and that Evers would work to fill the vacancy without delay. Dugan’s resignation comes as Republicans in Wisconsin had been preparing steps that would include impeachment proceedings after her Dec. 19 conviction.
In the letter, Dugan wrote that over the past decade she handled thousands of cases with what she described as “a commitment to treat all persons with dignity and respect, to act justly, deliberately and consistently, and to maintain a courtroom with the decorum and safety the public deserves.” She also said the case against her had become “too big of a distraction,” framing the resignation as a way to step away from what she called ongoing federal legal proceedings.
Dugan said in the letter that she is facing “unprecedented federal legal proceedings,” which she said are “far from concluded” but “present immense and complex challenges that threaten the independence of our judiciary.” She added that she was “pursuing this fight for myself and for our independent judiciary,” language that underscores her position on the judiciary’s independence even as she leaves the bench.
The conviction stemmed from events tied to U.S. immigration enforcement. Federal prosecutors accused Dugan last April of distracting federal officers as they tried to arrest a Mexican immigrant outside her courtroom and of leading the man out through a private door, and a federal jury convicted her of felony obstruction.
The episode drew wider political attention as the Trump administration pressed ahead with sweeping immigration crackdowns, and Democrats argued that the federal prosecution aimed to make an example of Dugan to blunt judicial opposition to the effort. Republicans highlighted the case as well, with President Donald Trump raising Dugan as he pursued immigration enforcement.
Wisconsin Assembly Speaker Robin Vos praised Dugan’s decision, saying he was “glad Dugan did the right thing by resigning and followed the clear direction from the Wisconsin Constitution.” Democrat Ann Jacobs, who chairs the Wisconsin Elections Commission board, said she agreed that Milwaukee should have a permanent judge while the legal fight plays out, and she wrote on X that “Despite her situation, she is ever the champion of justice” and that she was “wanting to remove the judiciary from a political battle over her fate.”
The confrontation outside the Milwaukee County courthouse unfolded after immigration officers went there following what federal authorities said was the illegal reentry of 31-year-old Eduardo Flores-Ruiz. According to the reporting, officers went to the courthouse after learning Flores-Ruiz had been scheduled to appear before Dugan for a hearing in a state battery case, and Dugan confronted agents outside her courtroom.
The reporting said Dugan directed agents to the office of Milwaukee County Chief Judge Carl Ashley because she told them their administrative warrant wasn’t sufficient grounds to arrest Flores-Ruiz. After agents left, she led Flores-Ruiz and his attorney out a private jury door, but agents later spotted Flores-Ruiz in the corridor, followed him outside, and arrested him after a foot chase.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced in November that Flores-Ruiz had been deported, while the political and legal fight around Dugan continued through her conviction and resignation letter.