Wisconsin Republicans demand Judge Dugan resign or face impeachment after felony conviction

By TODD RICHMOND and SCOTT BAUER

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin Republicans threatened Friday to impeach embattled judge Hannah Dugan if she doesn’t resign immediately after she was convicted of obstruction for helping an immigrant evade federal officers, saying her time serving the people of the state is over.

Federal prosecutors in April accused the judge of distracting federal officers trying to arrest a Mexican immigrant outside her courtroom and leading the man out through a private door. A jury convicted her of felony obstruction late Thursday after a four-day trial.

Dugan faces up to five years in prison when she’s sentenced, though federal judges have discretion to go lower. No sentencing date has been set.

The Wisconsin Constitution bars convicted felons from holding public office. The state Judicial Commission, which disciplines state judges, and Milwaukee County Chief Judge Carl Ashley, Dugan’s boss, haven’t responded to questions Friday about when Dugan’s office will officially become vacant. Under state law, a vacancy doesn’t begin until a convicted office holder is sentenced.