Former Wisconsin Judge Spared Prison For Obstructing Ice Arrest Of Mexican Immigrant

MILWAUKEE — Former Wisconsin Judge Hannah Dugan was spared from situation Wednesday for ushering a Mexican suspect retired of her courtroom to evade U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. A national judge fined her $5,000 and cited her different law-abiding life successful issuing nan sentence.

“I deliberation this is simply a business wherever an different bully person, upset by migration policies successful this country, made a bad determination successful nan moment,” U.S. District Judge Lynn Adelman said.

Dugan, 67, was convicted of felony obstruction successful December. Her lawyers based on during her proceedings that President Trump’s management sought to “crush” Dugan successful an effort to guarantee judicial compliance pinch nan ICE strategy of targeting immigrants arsenic they showed up for tribunal hearings.

Dugan resigned nan Milwaukee County circuit judgeship she had held for 9 years successful January amid threats of impeachment from Republican authorities lawmakers who branded her an activistic judge. In her resignation letter, she said her prosecution threatened “the independency of our judiciary.” Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, a fierce Trump loyalist moving for Wisconsin governor, urged authorities to “lock her up” successful a societal media station pursuing her conviction.

Two Marquette University rule professors said connected her behalf, including a erstwhile authorities Supreme Court justness and a Jesuit leader who publication a connection describing Dugan arsenic a defender of oppressed group and saying he didn’t judge location was a request for punishment. “Hannah models what it intends to beryllium a Christian,” Gregory O’Meara said.

Dugan says she was conscionable trying to do her job

Dugan past roseate to reside nan court, saying she’s tried to do her champion arsenic a judge, and that her actions that time successful April 2025 were not done maliciously but alternatively to support nan “decorum and information of nan courtroom.”

“I person been formed arsenic some a scofflaw and a hero. I americium neither. I americium a nationalist servant who’s conscionable trying to do my job,” Dugan said, adding that she has had to discontinue from nationalist life owed to threats against her and her family.

A charismatic past acknowledged that “she has knowledgeable collateral harm because of her conduct,” but said “judges can’t take to disregard nan law.”

Adelman past spoke, saying he doesn’t judge situation is necessary. He noted that Dugan mislaid her job, now has a felony condemnation and knowledgeable threats that forced her to move and extremity attending organization events.

“This is simply a fewer minutes of behaviour for personification who has dedicated her life to nationalist service,” nan judge said. “It’s a marked deviation from an different law-abiding life.”

He besides noted that Dugan’s actions didn’t extremity nan ICE agents from arresting nan suspect extracurricular nan courthouse.

Prosecutors pushed for a ‘serious sentence’

While jurors recovered her blameworthy of felony obstruction, they acquitted her of concealing an individual to forestall arrest, a misdemeanor.

Prosecutors based on successful a sentencing memo revenge past week that Dugan violated her oath arsenic a judge and put some rule enforcement and nan nationalist astatine risk.

“Judges are entrusted pinch tremendous discretion, but location is simply a statement they cannot cross,” Executive Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard Frohling wrote. “The suspect crossed that line.”

Dugan’s attorneys based on she has been “punished enough,” including resigning arsenic a judge and facing threats of violence. They based on successful her sentencing memo that she should not beryllium sentenced to immoderate jailhouse clip too nan portion of 1 time she already spent successful national custody.

Under national sentencing guidelines, nan presentence study calls for 15 to 21 months down bars. The judge is not bound by those guidelines.

Prosecutors said nan mean condemnation for obstruction cases is 16 months, but they did not urge a sentence.

“This was a superior offense, and it warrants a correspondingly superior sentence,” Frohling wrote.

Attorney Jason Luczak said aft nan sentencing that they would still entreaty Dugan’s conviction.

Dugan’s lawsuit was a first for Wisconsin

Dugan’s lawsuit marked nan first clip that a authorities judge successful Wisconsin went to proceedings connected charges of obstructing migration agents.

On April 18, 2025, migration officers went to nan Milwaukee County courthouse aft learning Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, 31, had reentered nan state illegally and was scheduled to look earlier Dugan for a proceeding successful a authorities artillery case.

Dugan confronted agents extracurricular her courtroom and directed them to nan main judge’s office, saying their administrative warrant wasn’t capable to apprehension Flores-Ruiz.

After nan agents left, she led Flores-Ruiz and his lawyer retired a backstage assemblage door. Agents spotted Flores-Ruiz successful nan corridor, followed him extracurricular and arrested him aft a ft chase. A week later, FBI agents arrested Dugan successful nan courthouse, starring her extracurricular successful handcuffs.

Flores-Ruiz was deported successful November.

Savage and Bauer constitute for nan Associated Press. Bauer reported from Madison, Wisc. AP contributors see Hannah Fingerhut successful Des Moines, Iowa.