{"id":141139,"date":"2026-01-07T08:36:50","date_gmt":"2026-01-07T16:36:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/2026\/01\/07\/judge-hannah-dugan-resigns-after-obstruction-conviction\/"},"modified":"2026-01-07T08:36:50","modified_gmt":"2026-01-07T16:36:50","slug":"judge-hannah-dugan-resigns-after-obstruction-conviction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/2026\/01\/07\/judge-hannah-dugan-resigns-after-obstruction-conviction\/","title":{"rendered":"Judge Hannah Dugan Resigns After Obstruction Conviction"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Immediately after Trump won the second election, the most popular flavor of cope was to throw up one\u2019s hands and ask \u201cHow bad could it really be?\u201d Things then proceeded to become really bad \u2014 the administration <a href=\"https:\/\/abovethelaw.com\/2025\/03\/skadden-makes-100-million-settlement-with-trump-in-pro-bono-payola\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">attacked private industries with executive orders<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/abovethelaw.com\/2025\/05\/rumeysa-ozturk-finally-returns-home-after-being-detained-over-6-weeks-for-sharing-her-opinions\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">student journalists <\/a>and <a href=\"https:\/\/abovethelaw.com\/2025\/03\/judge-to-hear-if-green-card-holders-can-be-deported-for-disagreeing-with-american-policy\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">protestors<\/a> faced deportation risks for sharing thoughts the state deemed unacceptable, and the <a href=\"https:\/\/abovethelaw.com\/2025\/04\/so-weve-entered-the-fbi-arresting-judges-stage-of-dystopia\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">FBI started arresting judges who didn\u2019t cooperate with sending immigrants to torture prisons<\/a>. Judge Hannah Dugan\u2019s case made it clear that ICE was no longer in the business of excluding courthouses from their patrol range. That was the norm prior to 2018 and there was wisdom to it; ICE is scary. Federal agents standing around courthouses posed an access to justice issue, as any attempt to get a restraining order or complain about a landlord\u2019s crappy property upkeep could result in a deportation.<\/p>\n<p>While the threat of ICE making a mess of general proceedings still stands for many judges, Dugan won\u2019t have to deal with that any more. She resigned shortly after being convicted of obstructing federal agents. <\/p>\n<p>You can read her resignation letter on the tweet below:<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">BREAKING: Hannah Dugan is resigning immediately as a Milwaukee County judge after her felony obstruction conviction <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/l3fgvAm5ti\" rel=\"nofollow\">pic.twitter.com\/l3fgvAm5ti<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Matt Smith (@mattsmith_news) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/mattsmith_news\/status\/2007482748076995047?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">January 3, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Nice to know that she still has some hope in the process. Now to see if it was well-placed. Her resignation moots the effort to impeach her off the bench and opens it to whomever the governor appoints in her stead. Big shoes to fill. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Earlier<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/abovethelaw.com\/2025\/04\/so-weve-entered-the-fbi-arresting-judges-stage-of-dystopia\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">So, We\u2019ve Entered The \u2018FBI Arresting Judges\u2019 Stage Of Dystopia<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/abovethelaw.com\/2025\/05\/if-trump-is-immune-so-is-the-wi-judge-the-doj-just-arrested\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">If Trump Is Immune, So Is The WI Judge The DOJ Just Arrested<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/abovethelaw.com\/2025\/03\/judge-to-hear-if-green-card-holders-can-be-deported-for-disagreeing-with-american-policy\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Judge To Hear If Green Card Holders Can Be Deported For Disagreeing With American Policy<\/a><\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright is-resized\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"512\" height=\"288\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/abovethelaw.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2025\/06\/Chris-Williams-2025.jpg?resize=512%2C288&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1162378\" title=\"\"><figcaption><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>Chris Williams became a social media manager and assistant editor for Above the Law in June 2021. Prior to joining the staff, he moonlighted as a minor Memelord\u2122 in the Facebook group\u00a0Law School Memes for Edgy T14s . \u00a0He endured Missouri long enough to graduate from Washington University in St. Louis School of Law. He is a former boatbuilder who is learning to swim,\u00a0is interested in critical race theory, philosophy, and humor, and has a love for cycling that occasionally annoys his peers. You can reach him by email at\u00a0<a href=\"mailto:cwilliams@abovethelaw.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">cwilliams@abovethelaw.com <\/a>and by tweet at\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/WritesForRent\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">@WritesForRent<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The post <a href=\"https:\/\/abovethelaw.com\/2026\/01\/judge-hannah-dugan-resigns-after-obstruction-conviction\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Judge Hannah Dugan Resigns After Obstruction Conviction<\/a> appeared first on <a href=\"https:\/\/abovethelaw.com\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Above the Law<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Immediately after Trump won the second election, the most popular flavor of cope was to throw up one\u2019s hands and ask \u201cHow bad could it really be?\u201d Things then proceeded to become really bad \u2014 the administration <a href=\"https:\/\/abovethelaw.com\/2025\/03\/skadden-makes-100-million-settlement-with-trump-in-pro-bono-payola\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">attacked private industries with executive orders<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/abovethelaw.com\/2025\/05\/rumeysa-ozturk-finally-returns-home-after-being-detained-over-6-weeks-for-sharing-her-opinions\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">student journalists <\/a>and <a href=\"https:\/\/abovethelaw.com\/2025\/03\/judge-to-hear-if-green-card-holders-can-be-deported-for-disagreeing-with-american-policy\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">protestors<\/a> faced deportation risks for sharing thoughts the state deemed unacceptable, and the <a href=\"https:\/\/abovethelaw.com\/2025\/04\/so-weve-entered-the-fbi-arresting-judges-stage-of-dystopia\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">FBI started arresting judges who didn\u2019t cooperate with sending immigrants to torture prisons<\/a>. Judge Hannah Dugan\u2019s case made it clear that ICE was no longer in the business of excluding courthouses from their patrol range. That was the norm prior to 2018 and there was wisdom to it; ICE is scary. Federal agents standing around courthouses posed an access to justice issue, as any attempt to get a restraining order or complain about a landlord\u2019s crappy property upkeep could result in a deportation.<\/p>\n<p>While the threat of ICE making a mess of general proceedings still stands for many judges, Dugan won\u2019t have to deal with that any more. She resigned shortly after being convicted of obstructing federal agents. <\/p>\n<p>You can read her resignation letter on the tweet below:<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">BREAKING: Hannah Dugan is resigning immediately as a Milwaukee County judge after her felony obstruction conviction <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/l3fgvAm5ti\" rel=\"nofollow\">pic.twitter.com\/l3fgvAm5ti<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Matt Smith (@mattsmith_news) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/mattsmith_news\/status\/2007482748076995047?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">January 3, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Nice to know that she still has some hope in the process. Now to see if it was well-placed. Her resignation moots the effort to impeach her off the bench and opens it to whomever the governor appoints in her stead. Big shoes to fill. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Earlier<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/abovethelaw.com\/2025\/04\/so-weve-entered-the-fbi-arresting-judges-stage-of-dystopia\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">So, We\u2019ve Entered The \u2018FBI Arresting Judges\u2019 Stage Of Dystopia<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/abovethelaw.com\/2025\/05\/if-trump-is-immune-so-is-the-wi-judge-the-doj-just-arrested\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">If Trump Is Immune, So Is The WI Judge The DOJ Just Arrested<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/abovethelaw.com\/2025\/03\/judge-to-hear-if-green-card-holders-can-be-deported-for-disagreeing-with-american-policy\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Judge To Hear If Green Card Holders Can Be Deported For Disagreeing With American Policy<\/a><\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright is-resized\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"512\" height=\"288\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/abovethelaw.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2025\/06\/Chris-Williams-2025.jpg?resize=512%2C288&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1162378\" title=\"\"><figcaption><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>Chris Williams became a social media manager and assistant editor for Above the Law in June 2021. Prior to joining the staff, he moonlighted as a minor Memelord\u2122 in the Facebook group\u00a0Law School Memes for Edgy T14s . \u00a0He endured Missouri long enough to graduate from Washington University in St. Louis School of Law. He is a former boatbuilder who is learning to swim,\u00a0is interested in critical race theory, philosophy, and humor, and has a love for cycling that occasionally annoys his peers. You can reach him by email at\u00a0<a href=\"mailto:cwilliams@abovethelaw.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">cwilliams@abovethelaw.com <\/a>and by tweet at\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/WritesForRent\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">@WritesForRent<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The post <a href=\"https:\/\/abovethelaw.com\/2026\/01\/judge-hannah-dugan-resigns-after-obstruction-conviction\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Judge Hannah Dugan Resigns After Obstruction Conviction<\/a> appeared first on <a href=\"https:\/\/abovethelaw.com\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Above the Law<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Immediately after Trump won the second election, the most popular flavor of cope was to throw up one\u2019s hands and ask \u201cHow bad could it really be?\u201d Things then proceeded to become really bad \u2014 the administration attacked private industries with executive orders, student journalists and protestors faced deportation risks for sharing thoughts the state [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":141072,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-141139","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-above_the_law"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/xira.com\/p\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Chris-Williams-2025-KyVDKf.jpg?fit=512%2C288&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/141139","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=141139"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/141139\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/141072"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=141139"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=141139"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=141139"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}