Former Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan has retained her law license to practice in Wisconsin despite her felony conviction earlier this year.
On September 16, the Wisconsin Supreme Court declined to suspend Dugan’s law license, rejecting a request from the state Office of Lawyer Regulation. The decision leaves Dugan’s license active and in good standing while the normal disciplinary process continues. However, this action does not prevent her license from being suspended or revoked in the future.
Dugan was convicted of a felony at the end of last year, stemming from her actions when she interfered with immigration agents attempting to make an arrest in the Milwaukee County Courthouse. (RELATED:New Report Challenges Wisconsin’s “Brain Drain” Narrative)
In April of 2025, six federal immigration officers arrived at the Milwaukee County Courthouse intending to arrest Eduardo Flores-Ruiz. He had previously been removed from the United States, was unlawfully in the country and was appearing before Dugan on three domestic-violence-related misdemeanor charges. Federal authorities had an administrative warrant authorizing his arrest.
Dugan confronted the agents and questioned the validity of their warrant. She initially told some agents to leave the courthouse before ultimately directing five of them away from the hallway and toward the chief judge’s office. She directed Flores-Ruiz and his attorney through a side door leading into a non-public hallway rather than the public hallway where agents had been waiting.
A federal jury ultimately convicted Dugan in December 2025 of felony obstruction of a federal proceeding. Importantly, the jury acquitted her of the separate charge of concealing a person from arrest. U.S. District Judge Lynn Adelman later imposed a $5,000 fine and no prison sentence. At sentencing, Adelman found that Dugan had abused a position of public trust. Dugan is appealing the conviction. (RELATED:Wisconsin Hospital Association Pushes Back on Hospital Price Transparency Report)
After the conviction, the Wisconsin’s Office of Lawyer Regulation sought Dugan’s immediate suspension. Under Wisconsin Supreme Court Rule 22.20, the Supreme Court may summarily suspend an attorney convicted of a “serious crime” while disciplinary proceedings continue — even if the conviction is under appeal.
Justice Annette Ziegler, joined in dissent by Justice Brian Hagedorn, noted that the court’s practice has been to summarily suspend attorneys under comparable circumstances. Ziegler said that Dugan’s misconduct did not occur away from her professional responsibilities. She was serving as a judge, wearing her judicial robe and operating inside the courthouse when she engaged in the conduct that produced the felony conviction.
