Gov. Tony Evers has appointed a new Milwaukee County judge to fill Hannah Dugan’s former role.
Dugan handed in her immediate resignation on Saturday. That’s after she was convicted of a felony last month. A jury concluded Dugan tried to obstruct immigration agents from taking a man into custody at the county courthouse.
Now, Wisconsin’s Democratic governor has chosen Owen Piotrowski to take over Dugan’s judgeship. Piotrowski has worked as an assistant district attorney in Milwaukee County. He’ll start work as a judge for branch 31 in the Milwaukee County Circuit Court on Feb. 1.
News with a little more humanity
WPR’s “Wisconsin Today” newsletter keeps you connected to the state you love without feeling overwhelmed. No paywall. No agenda. No corporate filter.
Evers had previously tapped Piotrowski to take over for Judge Jeffrey Wagner, another Milwaukee County judge who plans to retire in mid-March. Now, Evers will search for someone else to fill that upcoming vacancy in branch 38 of Milwaukee County Circuit Court.
Meanwhile, Dugan’s attorneys have taken steps to try and overturn her conviction.
In her resignation letter, Dugan said she was stepping down to avoid a “partisan fight in the state Legislature.” Following Dugan’s conviction in federal court, Republican lawmakers had vowed to impeach her if she didn’t resign “immediately.”
Wisconsin Public Radio, © Copyright 2026, Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System and Wisconsin Educational Communications Board.
