A federal judge has ruled to uphold the conviction of former Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan for obstructing immigration enforcement, rejecting arguments to overturn it.
| PULSE POINTS |
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: The conviction of former Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan has been upheld after she obstructed U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). 📺 DETAIL: The decision to uphold Dugan’s conviction was announced on Tuesday by U.S. District Judge Lynn Adelman. The former Milwaukee County Circuit Judge had previously been found guilty of obstruction of justice after helping Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, an illegal immigrant, evade ICE agents during a court appearance. The incident occurred in April last year when Dugan turned away ICE agents with a warrant to the chief judge’s office, falsely claiming the warrant was insufficient. She then led Flores-Ruiz out a private door. After a brief chase, Flores-Ruiz was apprehended by ICE and deported in November of the same year. Dugan’s sentencing was delayed to consider arguments for overturning her conviction. “The court’s decision is wrong,” claimed Dugan’s defense team at the time, arguing that her actions did not constitute obstruction as the ICE operation was not a “proceeding” as defined under federal law. However, the argument was ultimately rejected, with the judge ruling that the ICE operation was a valid proceeding, meaning Dugan’s actions constituted an obstruction of justice. Following her conviction, Dugan resigned from her post at Milwaukee County Circuit Court. 💬 KEY QUOTE: “Defendant argues that ICE was acting as a law enforcement agency here. But this ignores the fact that, unlike, say, the FBI, ICE can issue its own warrants and adjudicate and effectuate a removal, as it did with Flores-Ruiz, without the involvement of a court. This makes a difference,” wrote U.S. District Judge Lynn Adelman. 🎯 IMPACT: The 67-year-old Dugan faces up to five years in prison. However, she is expected to receive probation under federal guidelines for non-violent offenders. This is the first time that a Wisconsin state judge has faced trial for obstructing immigration law enforcement agents. While she was convicted for obstruction of justice, Dugan was acquitted of a related misdemeanor charge of concealing an individual to prevent arrest. 📺 FLASHBACK: The conviction of Dugan was first reported in December last year. Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, the illegal immigrant whom Dugan aided to avoid ICE, was a violent criminal from Mexico. Flores-Ruiz was previously deported in 2013 and accused of multiple assaults in March 2025. “This case is serious for all involved, it is ultimately about a single day, a single bad day, in a public courthouse,” said U.S. Attorney Brad Schimel at the time. This story is similar to one from Logan, Utah, reported earlier this month, in which two court clerks allegedly helped an illegal immigrant evade ICE. |
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