A Wisconsin judge was convicted on Thursday of obstructing federal immigration agents attempting to arrest a defendant outside her courtroom, marking the first trial of a state jurist on such charges.
Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan, 66, was found guilty of a felony count but acquitted on a misdemeanor charge of concealing a wanted person.
She faces up to five years in prison and is likely barred from continuing as a judge under the state constitution due to the conviction.
The case stemmed from an April 18 incident at the Milwaukee County Courthouse, where Dugan was handling misdemeanor cases. Federal agents were present to detain Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, 31, a Mexican national who had illegally re-entered the U.S. in 2013 and was facing battery charges.
After learning of the planned arrest from her clerk, Dugan confronted the agents in a corridor alongside another judge, questioning their purpose and directing them to the chief judge’s office, which was drafting guidelines on courthouse arrests. She then advanced Flores-Ruiz’s case, escorted him and his attorney through a restricted side door into a staff hallway, witnesses said.
The pair exited into a public area, where agents pursued and arrested Flores-Ruiz after a short foot chase outside. He has since been deported. Dugan was arrested by FBI agents a week later and led from the courthouse in handcuffs.
Prosecutors highlighted unusual actions by Dugan, using video of her exchange with agents and courtroom audio to argue she intended to help Flores-Ruiz evade capture. In one recording, the court reporter offered to escort the defendant out of the courtroom, but Dugan responded, “I’ll do it. I’ll get the heat,” before leading the defendant out, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.
“Common sense tells you that the defendant knew what she was doing was wrong,” prosecutor Kelly Brown Watzka said in closing arguments, “and she did it anyway,” The New York Times reported.
Defense attorneys portrayed Dugan as navigating a confusing situation under vague courthouse directives rather than defying agents.
“She never acted corruptly in doing her job as a judge in the middle of a stressful, new, and confusing situation,” lawyer Jason Luczak said in closings, per NYT.
The defense also suggested the prosecution aimed to “crush” Dugan as an example. A pretrial motion claiming judicial immunity was denied by U.S. District Judge Lynn Adelman, a Clinton appointee presiding over the case.
The government called 19 witnesses, including agents and a fellow judge, Kristela Cervera, who testified she was reluctant to join Dugan in the hallway and was shocked by the allegations.
“Judges should not be helping defendants evade arrest,” Cervera said, according to the Sentinel.
On cross-examination, Cervera acknowledged texting her sister, a lawyer, to warn of ICE presence, which the defense claimed was to protect herself. Prosecutors downplayed the message.
The defense presented four witnesses: two judges, a public defender, and former Mayor Tom Barrett, a friend of Dugan.
Dugan herself did not testify.
A jury of seven men and five women from 12 counties deliberated over six hours, posing questions about ICE protocols and whether Dugan needed to know the arrest target’s identity.
No plea deal was reached despite an offer.
Interim U.S. Attorney Brad Schimel rejected political motives.
“We weren’t trying to make an example out of anyone. This was necessary to hold Judge Dugan accountable because of the actions she took,” he said, per the Sentinel. “There’s not a political aspect to it.”
Schimel added that courthouses are the safest arrest venues, and Dugan’s actions risked a flight outside that setting.
“Some have sought to make this about a larger political battle. While this case is serious for all involved, it is ultimately about a single day – a single day – in a public courthouse,” he said.
Defense attorney Steve Biskupic cited the split verdict as grounds for appeal.
“The case is a long way from over,” he said, planning a motion to overturn the conviction.
The jury foreperson, unnamed, said he was “not feeling too good” but that the panel “followed [Judge] Adelman’s instructions faithfully.” Others declined to comment.
Dugan, a judge for nine years, has been on administrative leave collecting her $174,000 salary and was temporarily barred from the bench by the Wisconsin Supreme Court pending the case. No sentencing date was set.
