A judge in Milwaukee is accused of helping a man evade immigration authorities, a case that has immediately become a high-profile confrontation between the Trump administration and the judiciary over the Republican administration’s immigration policies.
Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan was arrested Friday.
FBI Director Kash Patel announced the move via social media, saying Dugan “increased danger to the public” by letting Eduardo Flores-Ruiz and his lawyer leave her courtroom through a jury door on April 18 to help avert his arrest, according to an FBI affidavit.
Flores-Ruiz, a native of Mexico, had been in court on a battery charge.
Who is Dugan?
Dugan has been a Milwaukee County Circuit Court judge since her election in 2016. She previously was a litigation attorney and served administrative jobs at Legal Action of Wisconsin, Inc., and Legal Aid Society, Inc.
She also has taught law and graduate students at Marquette University.
Dugan was the president of the Milwaukee Bar Association from 1999-2000 and at one point worked at Catholic Charities of Southeastern Wisconsin, Inc.
She graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1981 with a bachelor of arts degree and earned her Juris Doctorate in 1987 from the school.
What is she accused of?
The FBI took Dugan into custody Friday on the courthouse grounds — the same building federal immigration agents entered last week in search of Flores-Ruiz.
Flores-Ruiz had been removed from the U.S. through Arizona over a decade ago and there is no evidence he got permission to return, according to the affidavit.
A fingerprint match prompted U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers to go to the Milwaukee courthouse and wait outside Dugan’s courtroom during his appearance.
After learning the agents were there, Dugan became “visibly angry,” according to the affidavit. She and another judge approached the members of the arrest team in a courthouse hallway and sent them to the chief judge’s office. Dugan then returned to her courtroom and ushered Flores-Ruiz and his attorney into the jury door, according to the affidavit.
Defendants not in custody and their attorneys never use the jury door, the affidavit claims, only deputies, jurors, court staff and defendants who are in custody.
That allegedly helped Flores-Ruiz get out of the building using an elevator. Agents nonetheless spotted him and, after a foot chase, arrested him outside.
What does the judge say about the allegations?
Nothing yet.
“The judicial code of conduct restricts judges from commenting on pending or impending matters in any court. Judge Dugan’s court calendar will be covered by another judge as needed,” District One Chief Judge Carl Ashley said in a statement.
Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson, a Democrat, said the arrest “was clearly more about hype than it was keeping our community safe.”
“I really do wish that the Trump administration would focus less on settling scores with perceived potential enemies and focus their attention more on things that really matter,” Johnson said.
Tom Barrett, a former U.S. congressman and mayor of Milwaukee for 17 years, said he was friends with Dugan’s older sister in high school and has known Dugan since she was 12. He has not spoken with her about the arrest.
Barrett said Dugan is “very professional, cares deeply about the community” and “is committed to justice and fairness.”
“As a person and a judge, she always tries to do the right thing and she cares deeply about the community and people and justice,” Barrett said.
What happens next?
Dugan has a court case, not as a prosecutor or judge but as a defendant. She is due back in court on May 15.
Outside the courthouse Friday, dozens of people gathered to protest.
“Judge Dugan will be free. No justice, no peace,” some chanted.
The judge’s arrest could discourage people from reporting crimes — even reporting a fire, for example — for fear of arrest, they said.
“These actions are transparently meant to be chilling, cruel and undermining the rule of law,” said Melinda Brennan, executive director of the ACLU of Wisconsin.
Brian Schimming, chair of the Republican Party of Wisconsin, said in a social media message that Dugan’s arrests shows “nobody’s above the law, even judges.”
“She knowingly was violating the law, if the Democrats want to defend that, they’re not hearing the public,” he said.
Associated Press reporters Scott Bauer in Milwaukee and Corey Williams in Detroit contributed to this report.
