A Wisconsin jury found Milwaukee County Judge Hannah Dugan guilty on a federal charge of obstructing a proceeding before a U.S. department or agency on Thursday.
Dugan was accused of helping an illegal immigrant, Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, avoid Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers in April 2025, while he was in her courthouse for battery charges. She was accused of guiding Flores-Ruiz to a non-public exit in the building in order to evade authorities while directing ICE officers to speak to the Chief Judge.
Dugan was also found not guilty on a lesser misdemeanor charge of “concealing an individual from discovery and arrest,” reported Wisconsin’s WISN-12.
Dugan’s legal representatives maintained her innocence and cited that her being found guilty on only one charge instead of both is a reflection of her innocence, which they will continue to fight for in court.
“While we are disappointed in today’s outcome, the failure of the prosecution to secure convictions on both counts demonstrates the opportunity we have to clear Judge Dugan’s name and show she did nothing wrong in this matter,” Dugan’s defense team said in a prepared statement. “We have planned for this potential outcome and our defense of Judge Dugan is just beginning. This trial required considerable resources to prepare for and public support for Judge Dugan’s defense fund is critical as we prepare for the next phase of this defense.”
Dugan’s case initially drew a lot of attention when it occurred. Many Democratic politicians loudly criticized Dugan’s arrest at the time and blasted President Donald Trump for doing so, claiming it was an example of aggressive governance, political overreach, with some even stating it was an example of Trump acting like a king.
Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) called Dugan’s arrest “gravely serious,” “lawless behavior,” and asserted that “we do not have kings in this country.”
“In the United States, we have a system of checks and balances and separations of power for damn good reasons,” said Baldwin in a statement on April 25, 2025. “The President’s administration arresting a sitting judge is a gravely serious and drastic move, and it threatens to breach those very separations of power.”
“Make no mistake, we do not have kings in this country and we are a Democracy governed by laws that everyone must abide by,” Baldwin said. “By relentlessly attacking the judicial system, flouting court orders, and arresting a sitting judge, this President is putting those basic Democratic values that Wisconsinites hold dear on the line. While details of this exact case remain minimal, this action fits into the deeply concerning pattern of this President’s lawless behavior and undermining courts and Congress’s checks on his power.”
Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers (D) at the time was also critical of Dugan’s arrest, blasting Trump’s actions and comments.
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“In this country, people who are suspected of criminal wrongdoing are innocent until their guilt is proven beyond reasonable doubt and they are found guilty by a jury of their peers — this is the fundamental demand of justice in America,” Evers said at the time.
“Unfortunately, we have seen in recent months the president and the Trump Administration repeatedly use dangerous rhetoric to attack and attempt to undermine our judiciary at every level, including flat-out disobeying the highest court in the land and threatening to impeach and remove judges who do not rule in their favor,” the Democratic governor added.
The maximum penalty for Dugan is reportedly five years in prison and a $250,000 fine, according to reports. Dugan’s lawyers said they would appeal the conviction. No sentencing date has been set at the present time.