Another Liberal Wins, But The Rule Of Law Prevails In Wisconsin

Purple State Wisconsin has gone one for two this week in defense of the rule of law. 

In Tuesday’s  Wisconsin Supreme Court election — the second in just over a year — Madison leftist Chris Taylor soundly beat conservative candidate Maria Lazar.

But a federal court on Monday rejected former Milwaukee County judge Hannah Dugan’s appeal to overturn her conviction on obstruction charges for helping a criminal illegal immigrant elude federal immigration law enforcement authorities. Dugan faces up to five years in prison and a $350,000 fine but is unlikely to see much, if any, time behind bars. 

Another Beating

Leftists on the Badger State’s high court beginning this summer will hold a 5-2 majority, with conservatives really down to a justice and a half (Supreme Court Justice Brian Hagedorn has been known to swing both ways on rulings). 

As of late Tuesday, Taylor had claimed 60 percent of the vote to Lazar’s 40 percent, with 90 percent of the precincts reporting. 

Same result, different election. In the past four Supreme Court spring elections over the past seven years, a well-funded leftist candidate has trounced a conservative candidate with considerably less campaign cash and an extremely unmotivated base. 

Spring turnout is always considerably lighter than in November general elections, but conservatives failed to match leftists in the 2025 contest when control of the court was on the line. In that race, leftist candidate Susan Crawford crushed former state attorney general Brad Schimel in the most expensive judicial race on record. A flood of outside money from billionaire Democrats offset Elon Musk’s infusion of cash in support of the conservative. All that green helped Crawford win with 55 percent of the vote to Schimel’s 45 percent. That race understandably drew significantly more votes than Tuesday’s election, but both shared one critical fact: Donald Trump was not on the ballot. 

Wisconsin GOP Chairman Brian Schimming thanked Lazar for stepping up to run in another bruising Supreme Court race. He said Lazar “ran an honorable campaign focused on impartial justice, following the rule of law, and rejecting judicial activism.” 

Leftist Record 

Legislating from the bench is what Taylor’s supporters just bought with their votes and what the swing state will pay for in the coming years. Taylor, an appellate court judge from the state’s left-centric District IV Court of Appeals, is so far left the socialists can’t track her. The former Planned Parenthood attorney and state lawmaker believes “choice” has no limit when it comes to killing the unborn. She has fought for men in women’s locker rooms and on women’s teams. She was a “sanctuary state” crusader. She’s an extreme election-integrity denier. And on a vibes note, she possesses the kind of RBF that could sink a thousand ships. But old Crazy Eyes Taylor annihilated her conservative competition despite her long leftist record. 

Here’s a final scary thought. Wisconsin Supreme Court terms are 10 years. 

Taylor will join the court just before Wisconsin’s party primaries. The dominant liberal majority could play a deciding role in what is expected to be a closely contested general election, which will include a critical race for governor, the battle for control of the state legislature, and key congressional contests. 

‘Respect the Rule of Law’

While the leftist activists on the Supreme Court broaden their power, former Milwaukee Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan’s abuse of power has been checked. 

On Monday, U.S. District Court Judge Lynn Adelman shot down Dugan motion to overturn a jury’s guilty verdict in December. Dugan was convicted on a felony obstruction charge, while the jury found her not guilty on a misdemeanor charge of concealing an illegal immigrant from arrest by Immigration & Enforcement agents outside her court. 

The former judge was accused of directing Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, a previously deported Mexican national, and his attorney to a court “jury door,” an exit not accessible to the public, while Department of Homeland Security agents prepared to take the illegal immigrant into custody. Ruiz, who was appearing in Dugan’s courtroom at the time on a battery charge, was apprehended a short time later. 

Dugan’s attorneys audaciously argued that she was immune from prosecution because she broke the law as part of her judicial duties. 

In denying Dugan’s motion for acquittal, Adelman put the issue succinctly: 

“Defendant’s arguments fail,” the federal judge wrote in the 39-page ruling. 

“As I noted in denying defendant’s motion to dismiss (R. 48 at 21), there is no basis for granting immunity simply because some of the allegations in the indictment describe conduct that could be considered part of a judge’s job,” Adelman wrote, adding that “otherwise lawful conduct can amount to a crime if done with a corrupt motive.”

A judge should know better, should know the law. It appears the former executive director of Milwaukee’s Catholic Charities was more interested in her liberal activism than the rule of law. She became a kind of folk hero to the leftist anti-ICE crowd, speaking of lawlessness. Her supporters set up a legal defense fund, insisting that the indictment against her was bigger than Dugan; it was the “prosecution of America’s independent judiciary.” Interestingly, the list of people prohibited from donating includes noncitizens. 

Dugan’s attorneys have hinted at appealing Adelman’s ruling to the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals. For now, her conviction and the rejection of her acquittal motion should send a message to activist judges everywhere. 

“Judges are not above the law. Their core function is to respect the rule of law, not to undermine it. That means judges must both enforce and follow laws regardless of their personal feelings about them as a matter of policy,” Daniel Suhr, president of the Center for American Rights, told The Federalist following December’s guilty verdict. “Judge Dugan failed in that fundamental aspect of her role, and in doing so broke the law herself.”

Matt Kittle is a senior elections correspondent for The Federalist. An award-winning investigative reporter and 30-year veteran of print, broadcast, and online journalism, Kittle previously served as the executive director of Empower Wisconsin.