Judge Escapes Prison Time in ICE Obstruction Case
Former Wisconsin Judge Hannah Dugan was spared prison Wednesday after being convicted of helping a Mexican defendant evade U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. U.S. District Judge Lynn Adelman fined her $5,000, citing her otherwise law-abiding life.
“I think this is a situation where an otherwise good person, upset by immigration policies in this country, made a bad decision in the moment,” Adelman said.
Dugan, 67, was convicted of felony obstruction in December. Her lawyers argued during trial that the Trump administration sought to “crush” Dugan to ensure judicial compliance with ICE’s strategy of targeting immigrants at court hearings.
Dugan resigned her Milwaukee County circuit judgeship in January amid impeachment threats from Republican state lawmakers who labeled her an activist judge. In her resignation letter, she said her prosecution threatened “the independence of our judiciary.” Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, a Trump loyalist running for Wisconsin governor, had urged authorities to “lock her up.”
Two Marquette University law professors spoke on her behalf, including a former state Supreme Court justice and a Jesuit priest who read a statement describing Dugan as a defender of oppressed people and saying he didn’t believe punishment was necessary. “Hannah models what it means to be a Christian,” Gregory O’Meara said.
Dugan Says She Was Just Doing Her Job
Dugan addressed the court, saying she tried to do her best as a judge and that her actions in April 2025 were not malicious but to maintain “decorum and safety of the courtroom.”
“I have been cast as both a scofflaw and a hero. I am neither. I am a public servant who’s just trying to do my job,” Dugan said, adding that she has had to retire from public life due to threats against her and her family.
Executive Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard Frohling acknowledged “she has experienced collateral damage because of her conduct,” but said “judges can’t choose to disregard the law.”
Adelman said he doesn’t believe prison is necessary, noting Dugan lost her job, now has a felony conviction, and experienced threats that forced her to move and stop attending community events. He also noted her actions didn’t stop ICE agents from arresting the defendant outside the courthouse.
“This is a few minutes of conduct for someone who has dedicated her life to public service,” Adelman said. “It’s a marked deviation from an otherwise law-abiding life.”
Prosecutors Had Pushed for ‘Serious Sentence’
Prosecutors argued in a sentencing memo that Dugan violated her oath as a judge and put both law enforcement and the public at risk.
“Judges are entrusted with tremendous discretion, but there is a line they cannot cross,” Frohling wrote. “The defendant crossed that line.”
Dugan’s attorneys argued she has been “punished enough” and should not receive jail time beyond hours spent in federal custody. Federal sentencing guidelines called for 15 to 21 months behind bars, but Adelman, appointed by President Bill Clinton in 1997, wasn’t bound by them. Prosecutors did not recommend a specific sentence, but Frohling wrote that “this was a serious offense, and it warrants a correspondingly serious sentence.”
Attorney Jason Luczak said after sentencing they would appeal Dugan’s felony obstruction conviction. Jurors acquitted her at trial of concealing an individual to prevent arrest, a misdemeanor.
What Happened in the Courthouse That Day
On April 18, 2025, immigration officers went to the Milwaukee County courthouse after learning Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, 31, had reentered the country illegally and was scheduled to appear before Dugan for a hearing in a state battery case.
Dugan confronted agents outside her courtroom and directed them to the chief judge’s office, saying their administrative warrant wasn’t sufficient to arrest Flores-Ruiz. Her attorneys said she was following protocols that called for court employees to report immigration agents to supervisors.
After the agents left, she led Flores-Ruiz and his attorney out a private jury door. Agents spotted Flores-Ruiz in the corridor, followed him outside and arrested him after a foot chase. A week later, FBI agents arrested Dugan in the courthouse, leading her outside in handcuffs. Flores-Ruiz was deported in November.
