Hannah Dugan will not spend time behind bars for her role in helping a Mexican defendant evade federal immigration agents, a federal judge decided Wednesday. Instead, the former Milwaukee circuit court judge was fined $5,000, with the sentencing judge concluding that prison time was unnecessary for someone with an otherwise spotless record.
Dugan, 67, was convicted in December of felony obstruction after she ushered Eduardo Flores-Ruiz out of her courtroom through a private door on April 18, 2025, when ICE agents arrived to arrest him. Flores-Ruiz, 31, had re-entered the country illegally and was scheduled to appear before her for a hearing in a state battery case. Though agents ultimately caught up with Flores-Ruiz outside the courthouse and arrested him after a brief foot chase, Dugan's intervention drew the attention of prosecutors and eventually the FBI.
U.S. District Judge Lynn Adelman framed her conduct as an isolated lapse from a lifetime of public service. "This is a few minutes of conduct for someone who has dedicated her life to public service," he said, noting that her actions did not ultimately prevent the arrest.
The case became a flashpoint in broader debates over judicial independence and immigration enforcement. Dugan's lawyers argued during trial that the Trump administration sought to pressure judges into cooperating with ICE operations at courthouses. Federal sentencing guidelines had called for 15 to 21 months in prison, but prosecutors did not formally recommend a sentence, and the judge was not bound by those guidelines anyway.
Dugan resigned her nine-year position as a Milwaukee county circuit judge in January, citing threats of impeachment from Republican state lawmakers who called her an activist judge. She said her prosecution threatened "the independence of our judiciary." Her departure came weeks after her December conviction, amid calls from prominent Republicans for her imprisonment. Tom Tiffany, a U.S. representative and Trump loyalist running for Wisconsin governor, posted on social media demanding authorities "lock her up."
Two Marquette University law professors testified on Dugan's behalf at sentencing, along with a Jesuit priest who described her as a defender of oppressed people. Gregory O'Meara, the priest, said he saw no need for punishment. "Hannah models what it means to be a Christian," he said.
Dugan addressed the court herself, saying her actions that day were not malicious but intended to preserve "the decorum and safety of the courtroom." She acknowledged that threats against her and her family had forced her to step away from public life. "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.
The prosecutor acknowledged she had suffered consequences but argued that judges cannot disregard the law. "Judges are entrusted with tremendous discretion, but there is a line they cannot cross," said Richard Frohling, executive assistant U.S. attorney. The average sentence in obstruction cases runs about 16 months, prosecutors noted.
Dugan was convicted of felony obstruction but acquitted on a misdemeanor charge of concealing an individual to prevent arrest. A week after the April incident, FBI agents arrested her in the courthouse itself, leading her out in handcuffs. Flores-Ruiz was deported in November.
Dugan's attorneys said they plan to appeal the conviction. This was the first time a Wisconsin state judge had faced trial on charges of obstructing immigration agents.
Author James Rodriguez: "Dugan got a break that many defendants never receive, but the underlying question about judicial authority in immigration matters remains unresolved."
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