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A judge in Wisconsin who was arrested earlier this year for obstructing federal immigration agents during an attempted courthouse arrest of an illegal immigrant has officially resigned from the bench following her felony conviction.

Some shit you should know before you dig in: Last year, Judge Hannah Dugan was arrested after federal authorities accused her of obstructing immigration agents during an attempted courthouse arrest. On April 18, six federal agents came to the Milwaukee County Courthouse to detain Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, a 31-year-old Mexican national who had been previously deported and reentered the US illegally. Flores-Ruiz was in Dugan’s courtroom facing misdemeanor battery charges. When the agents informed Dugan of their intent to arrest him, she questioned the validity of their administrative warrant and redirected them to the chief judge’s office. After they left, Dugan rushed Flores-Ruiz’s case and led him and his attorney out through a restricted hallway used by court staff and jurors. Although ICE agents eventually caught up with and arrested Flores-Ruiz outside the courthouse, federal prosecutors charged Dugan with felony obstruction, claiming she willfully interfered with a lawful arrest. In December 2025, a jury convicted her on that felony charge.

What’s going on now: In a notable development, Judge Hannah Dugan submitted her resignation from the bench in a letter to Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers. In the letter, Dugan cited the seriousness of the case against her, writing, “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 stressed that her resignation was not an admission of wrongdoing but a step to preserve the integrity of the court system and allow the public to have a functioning judiciary, stating, “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.”

She added, “My faith in God and in our legal system leads me to trust that in the long run justice will be served for our independent judiciary and for me.”

Her resignation followed intense scrutiny and backlash from Republican leaders, including Wisconsin Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, who had publicly supported removing her from the bench. In a statement, Vos said, “I’m glad Dugan did the right thing by resigning and followed the clear direction from the Wisconsin Constitution.”