A Wisconsin judge has stepped down from her position after a federal jury found her guilty of obstructing the arrest of an undocumented immigrant by federal agents in her own courtroom.
A Conviction and Immediate Political Pressure
Judge Hannah Dugan, who served for nine years on the Milwaukee County Circuit Court, was convicted on 19 December 2025. The charges stemmed from an incident where Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and FBI agents were attempting to detain Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, an undocumented individual, outside her courtroom.
According to the federal indictment, Dugan confronted the waiting officers and directed them to the chief judge's office. While the agents were away, she informed the immigrant's lawyer that his client could attend his next hearing remotely via Zoom. She then escorted Flores-Ruiz and his attorney through a private jury room door in an attempt to help him evade capture.
The Aftermath of the Courtroom Incident
Federal agents subsequently spotted Flores-Ruiz and arrested him following a brief foot chase. He was later sentenced to time served for illegally re-entering the United States and was deported. Dugan's actions led to her conviction and immediate calls for her resignation from Wisconsin's Republican lawmakers, who had threatened impeachment proceedings if she refused to leave the bench.
Resignation to Shield the Judiciary from 'Partisan Fight'
In a letter sent to Democratic Governor Tony Evers on Saturday, Dugan framed her resignation as a move to protect judicial independence. She described the federal case against her as "unprecedented" and said it presented "immense and complex challenges that threaten the independence of our judiciary."
"The Wisconsin citizens that I cherish deserve to start the year with a judge on the bench in Milwaukee county branch 31 rather than have the fate of that court rest in a partisan fight in the state legislature," Dugan wrote, indicating she would continue to fight the conviction through the appeals process.
Mixed Reactions from Across the Political Aisle
Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos welcomed the decision, stating he was "glad Dugan did the right thing by resigning and followed the clear direction from the Wisconsin constitution."
Conversely, Ann Jacobs, the Democratic chair of the Wisconsin Elections Commission, expressed sympathy. She agreed that Milwaukee should have a permanent judge while Dugan's defence team appeals. "Despite her situation, she is ever the champion of justice, wanting to remove the judiciary from a political battle over her fate," Jacobs wrote on social media platform X.
The case has highlighted the intense political and legal clashes surrounding immigration enforcement in the United States, placing a local judge at the centre of a national debate.
