A former Wisconsin judge convicted of felony obstruction for helping a Mexican defendant evade US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents has been spared prison. On Wednesday, a federal judge fined Hannah Dugan $5,000, citing her otherwise law-abiding life.
Details of the case
Dugan, 67, was convicted in December 2025. Her lawyers argued that the Trump administration sought to “crush” her to ensure judicial compliance with ICE’s strategy of targeting immigrants at court hearings. She resigned her Milwaukee county circuit judgeship in January amid threats of impeachment from Republican state lawmakers who labeled her an activist judge. In her resignation letter, she said her prosecution threatened “the independence of our judiciary”.
Tom Tiffany, a Republican US representative and Trump loyalist running for Wisconsin governor, urged authorities to “lock her up” in a social media post after her conviction.
Court statements and sentencing
Two Marquette University law professors spoke on Dugan’s behalf, including a former state supreme court justice and a Jesuit priest who read a statement describing Dugan as a defender of oppressed people. “Hannah models what it means to be a Christian,” Gregory O’Meara said.
Dugan addressed the court, saying she tried to do her best as a judge and that her actions on 18 April 2025 were not malicious but aimed at maintaining “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,” she said, adding that she had to retire due to threats against her and her family.
A prosecutor acknowledged “she has experienced collateral damage because of her conduct,” but said “judges can’t choose to disregard the law.” US district judge Lynn Adelman said Dugan made a bad decision and that prison was unnecessary. “This is a few minutes of conduct for someone who has dedicated her life to public service. It’s a marked deviation from an otherwise law-abiding life,” he said. He noted that her actions did not stop ICE agents from arresting the defendant outside the courthouse.
Prosecution arguments and guidelines
Jurors found Dugan guilty of felony obstruction but acquitted her of concealing an individual to prevent arrest, a misdemeanor. Prosecutors argued in a sentencing memo that Dugan violated her oath as a judge and put law enforcement and the public at risk. “Judges are entrusted with tremendous discretion, but there is a line they cannot cross. The defendant crossed that line,” wrote Richard Frohling, executive assistant US attorney.
Dugan’s attorneys argued she had been “punished enough”, including resigning and facing threats. They sought no jail time beyond the part of one day she already served. Federal sentencing guidelines called for 15 to 21 months, but the judge was not bound by them. Prosecutors said the average sentence for obstruction was 16 months but did not recommend a specific term.
Background and aftermath
Dugan’s case marked the first time a state judge in Wisconsin went to trial for obstructing immigration agents. On 18 April 2025, ICE officers went to the Milwaukee county courthouse after learning Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, 31, had re-entered the country illegally and was due before Dugan for a battery case hearing. Dugan confronted agents outside her courtroom, directing them to the chief judge’s office, claiming their administrative warrant was insufficient. After they left, she led Flores-Ruiz and his attorney out a private jury door. Agents spotted him in the corridor, followed him outside, and arrested him after a foot chase. FBI agents arrested Dugan a week later. Flores-Ruiz was deported in November.
Dugan’s attorneys plan to appeal.
