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Judge convicted of obstructing federal immigration agents resigns
January 6, 2026, 10:03 am CST
Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan (far left) leaves the federal courthouse after a hearing in Milwaukee on May 15, 2025. (Photo by Andy Manis/The Associated Press)
A Wisconsin judge who was convicted last month of obstructing federal agents trying to arrest an undocumented immigrant has resigned from her position, according to the New York Times.
Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan was facing an effort to impeach her and remove her from the bench. She resigned in a letter sent to Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers on Jan. 3.
“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,” Dugan wrote in the letter. “I am pursuing this fight for myself and for our independent judiciary. However, 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.”
The announcement came weeks after a federal jury found Dugan guilty of obstructing federal immigration agents seeking to make an arrest outside her courtroom. Dugan was found not guilty of concealing a wanted person, which is a misdemeanor, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Her resignation is expected to take effect immediately. Dugan was first elected to the Milwaukee County Circuit Court in 2016, the New York Times reports.
See also:
Prosecutor says judge knew she would get ‘heat’ for aiding immigrant
Wisconsin judge suspended over charges she helped migrant evade arrest
Wisconsin judge arrested by FBI, charged with obstructing immigrant arrest
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