Embattled Judge Convicted of Obstructing Immigration Agents Resigns

Hannah Dugan is also asking a federal judge to set aside last month’s jury’s verdict.

Milwaukee County Judge Hannah Dugan, charged with obstructing the arrest of an illegal immigrant, leaves after appearing in court in Milwaukee, Wis., on May 15, 2025. Jim Vondruska/File Photo/Reuters

Milwaukee judge Hannah Dugan, who was convicted last month on a federal felony charge for helping an illegal immigrant evade federal agents, said on Jan. 3 that she was resigning as a judge.

Federal prosecutors said Dugan had distracted federal agents who were trying to arrest Mexican citizen Eduardo Flores-Ruiz outside her courtroom and directed the man out via a private door.

Flores-Ruiz had reentered the United States illegally and was scheduled to appear before Dugan for a hearing in a state-level battery case.

Dugan was charged after the Trump administration relaxed restrictions on immigration enforcement operations at local courthouses as part of its drive to deport millions of illegal immigrants residing in the United States.

On Dec. 18, 2025, a federal jury found Dugan guilty of one felony count of violating Section 1505 of Title 18 of the U.S. Code.

Republican members of the Wisconsin State Legislature had been preparing to impeach Dugan and remove her from office since her conviction. Dugan is an elected judge on the Milwaukee County Circuit Court.

A spokesperson for Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, a Democrat, said his office received Dugan’s resignation letter and would move forward with filling the judicial vacancy.

The indictment against Dugan, dated May 13, 2025, states that she obstructed the administration of law by assisting Flores-Ruiz to evade arrest. Flores-Ruiz, who has since been deported to Mexico, was being sought at the time by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for removal proceedings.

The indictment states that Dugan falsely advised ICE agents that they required a judicial warrant to arrest him and that she directed Flores-Ruiz and his counsel to exit a courtroom through a non-public jury door.

In the resignation letter addressed to Evers, Dugan said that during her years on the bench, she has presided over thousands of cases with “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.”

“As you know, I am the subject of unprecedented federal legal proceedings, which are far from concluded but which present immense and complex challenges that threaten the independence of our judiciary,” she wrote.

“I am pursuing this fight for myself and for our independent judiciary.”

Dugan, who faces up to five years of incarceration, has not yet been sentenced.

Her attorneys filed a motion with the trial judge, U.S. District Judge Lynn Adelman of the Eastern District of Wisconsin, on Dec. 23, 2025, asking the judge to set aside the conviction. The first briefs are due on Jan. 30.

After learning of the resignation letter, Rep. Tom Tiffany (R-Wis.) said people shouldn’t interfere with ICE agents doing their jobs.

“A word to the wise: Don’t obstruct federal law enforcement when they are arresting a criminal illegal alien,” he wrote on X.

After the jury verdict last month, U.S. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said Dugan’s conviction served as a reminder that no one is above the law, including judges.

“Former Wisconsin state judge Hannah Dugan betrayed her oath and the people she served when she obstructed federal law enforcement during an immigration enforcement operation,” Blanche wrote on X.

“Today, a federal jury of her peers found her guilty and sent a clear message: the American people respect law and order. Nobody is above the law. This Department will not tolerate obstruction, will enforce federal immigration law, and will hold criminals to account–even those who wear robes.”

The Associated Press, Reuters, and Aldgra Fredly contributed to this report.