A federal jury in Milwaukee delivered a verdict on Thursday, finding Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan guilty of felony obstruction of federal agents. The charge stems from an April incident where Dugan interfered with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers attempting to arrest an illegal alien who had appeared in her courtroom.
Dugan, a sitting judge with nine years on the bench, faced two counts: felony obstruction and a misdemeanor for concealing a person to prevent arrest. The jury convicted her on the felony but acquitted her on the misdemeanor after deliberating for over six hours.
The case began on April 18, 2025, when Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, an illegal alien Mexican national facing state domestic battery charges, appeared before Dugan. ICE agents, armed with an administrative warrant, waited in the hallway to take him into custody afterward. Prosecutors presented evidence, including surveillance footage and witness testimony, showing Dugan confronting the agents, directing most of them to the chief judge’s office to discuss courthouse policies, and then escorting Flores-Ruiz and his attorney out through a restricted jury door leading to a non-public area.
Agents eventually spotted Flores-Ruiz outside, leading to a foot chase and his arrest nearby. He was later deported after pleading guilty to illegal presence in the country.
Federal authorities arrested Dugan a week after the incident, and a grand jury indicted her in May. The trial, which drew national attention amid the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement efforts, featured testimony from courthouse staff, fellow judges, and agents. Prosecutors argued Dugan’s actions were deliberate interference, not routine judicial duties. Her defense maintained she acted amid confusion over new ICE operations in the courthouse and had no intent to obstruct.
This marks the first time a state judge has faced trial for obstructing federal immigration agents. The felony conviction carries a potential sentence of up to five years in prison, though guidelines for nonviolent offenses often result in less. Sentencing has not yet been scheduled.
The outcome sends a clear message: no one, not even those in positions of authority, stands above the law when it comes to enforcing immigration statutes. Attempts to shield illegal immigrants from federal deportation proceedings undermine border security and public safety. With millions entering the country unlawfully in recent years, incidents like this expose how some local officials have prioritized sanctuary policies over cooperation with federal law enforcement.
Dugan’s actions risked endangering agents and eroded trust in the judiciary’s impartiality. As ICE ramps up operations under current policies, this verdict reinforces that obstruction will face consequences, regardless of one’s title.
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Doogie must have really ticked Soros off for him to throw her under the bus like that!
I hope Eduardo Flores sends her a Christmas card thanking her for throwing her career/livlihood away in trying to allow him to continue living in the country illegally. More proof, is any more is needed, that Democrats are ‘all heart/no brains’. Not a good look for the judiciary.
Where’s her heart for the illegal alien’s victims?
I hope it gets knifed in prison.
I’m sick and tired of seeing these judges acting as if they are above the law!! More of them need to be prosecuted
This pitiful excuse for a judge abused her power and spit on decent, law abiding citizens. She should get the maximum penalty allowed by law, but will she? This is a litmus test for the judiciary nationwide and the whole country is watching. Her sentence will either be a step towards restoring a modicum of faith in our judicial system, or destroy what little faith is left. If it’s the latter, then “law” becomes who clears leather first.
Throw the book at the Can’t Understand Normal Thinking lefty.
I’ll bet she’s not even suspended.
Now the people of that state needs to en mass contact the state bar and the Judicial review boards to have he position and law license removed and revoked.
Now comes the dreaded slap on the wrist.
Next up, the court staff that assisted Doogie in helping the illegal aliens escape attempt. Start with the one who called the ICE agents fascists. Then bring in the DEI chief judge who didn’t want to hear about Doogies illegal actions in his court.
Dude looks like a lady
The greatest danger to “America, the Beautiful” has always been the law and the law’s makers and administrators. It gives me some small confidence and hope to see that, (at least in one instance of ‘lawlessness” by the ‘law’), it is being dealt with BY the ‘law’, lawfully. Let’s see how easy the perpetrator get’s off in accordance with the ‘law’s’ loyalty to the “LAW”! Or is that, ‘loyalty’ to a fellow administrator of the the law? Some people treat the ‘law’ as if it were a god and the lawmakers and upholders of it were it’s angels. Look again.
I dont want a convicted felon as a judge. That is one roll we don’t want felons or people to behave extrajudiciously.