Daijiworld Media Network – Milwaukee
Milwaukee, Jul 9: Former Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan has been spared a prison sentence after being convicted of obstructing US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers attempting to arrest an undocumented immigrant outside her courtroom.
Dugan, 67, was convicted in December 2025 on a felony obstruction charge. During sentencing on July 8, US District Judge Lynn Adelman imposed a fine of $5,000, ruling that neither imprisonment nor probation was warranted.
Adelman said Dugan's actions lasted only a few minutes and noted her long record of public service, observing that she posed no risk of reoffending. Under federal sentencing guidelines, she could have faced 15 to 20 months in prison, while the maximum penalty was five years.
Calling it "the case of a good person making a bad decision in the moment," the judge said Dugan had already suffered significant consequences, including the loss of her judicial position, relocation and withdrawal from public life.
Dugan, who recently resigned after serving nine years as a judge amid calls for her impeachment, told the court she had been trying to perform her duties at a time when many immigrants feared attending court because of possible encounters with immigration authorities.
"I have been cast as both a scofflaw and a hero. I am neither. I am just a person who was trying to do my job," she told the court, adding that she intended to continue serving the community despite the conviction.
A jury found Dugan guilty of obstructing a federal immigration proceeding but acquitted her of a separate misdemeanour charge of concealing a fugitive.
Prosecutors argued that Dugan had not accepted responsibility for her actions and said judges who interfere with the administration of justice should face meaningful consequences.
Her legal team, however, maintained that she had already been sufficiently punished and confirmed that they would appeal the conviction before the US Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.
The case stems from an incident on April 18, 2025, when ICE officers arrived at the Milwaukee County courthouse to arrest Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, an undocumented immigrant facing battery charges. Prosecutors alleged that Dugan directed Flores-Ruiz through a restricted exit to avoid the agents. He was later arrested outside the courthouse after a brief foot chase.
Dugan was arrested by the FBI a week later, triggering protests in Milwaukee and drawing national attention amid the Trump administration's crackdown on illegal immigration and its clashes with local judicial authorities.