In another big win for the Trump Administration, the Wisconsin judge who was caught trying to help an illegal alien in her court escape from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials has resigned from her position, citing what she referred to as “unprecedented federal legal proceedings” brought against her by the Trump Administration as the reason why.
As background, a Milwaukee jury convicted Dugan in December of obstructing ICE. Describing how she obstructed them, the DOJ said, “Upon learning of the agents’ presence in the hallway, Judge Dugan allegedly confronted and ordered federal agents to leave the courthouse. After being made aware of a valid immigration arrest warrant, Judge Dugan told agents that they needed a judicial warrant and demanded that they go to the Chief Judge’s office. Once the agents were no longer in the vicinity of her courtroom, Judge Dugan allegedly elected not to conduct a hearing on Flores-Ruiz’s criminal case, despite the fact that victims of his offense were present, and instead personally escorted Flores-Ruiz and his attorney through a restricted “jury door” exit not typically used by defendants or attorneys.”
She is appealing, but has been convicted, and so decided to resign. Such is what she announced in a letter to Gov. Tony Evers of Wisconsin, trying to pat herself on her back for her longtime record on the bench while also admitting that the legal attacks from the Trump Administration have chased her off of it.
She began by stating, ridiculously, given how she aided the illegal alien, “For the past nine years of service, it has been the honor of my life and a daily blessing to be entrusted by Wisconsinites as their elected judge; to fairly administer justice to the thousands of people who have come before me, uphold our laws and the Constitution, and keep our community safe.”
Continuing, the judge went on to insist that she has a lengthy record of good public service, saying, “During this last decade, I have served behind the bench and beyond the bench. Behind the bench
I have presided over thousands and thousands of cases – with a commitment to treat all persons with dignity and respect, to act justly, deliberatively, and consistently, and to maintain a courtroom with the decorum and safety the public deserves.”
Giving yet more examples of how great she things she is, the judge insisted, “Beyond the bench I have attended hundreds and hundreds of community events, listening to Milwaukee County residents voice their justice system experiences and concerns — as jurors, witnesses, litigants, victims, and justice-impacted citizens who care about our courts.”
She then got to the real meat of the letter and tried to put a self-justifying spin on having been found guilty, saying, “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. I am pursuing this fight for myself and for our independent judiciary.”
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And, trying to frame her decision to resign in disgrace as her working to aid the community, she said, “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.”
Concluding, and finally stating that she was resigning, she said, “Therefore, Governor, with a heavy heart, I submit to you this letter of resignation and respectfully request that you give it immediate effect. 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.”