For knowingly and willingly obstructing justice, the Wisconsin Supreme Court has temporarily stripped a state judge of her powers.
Specifically, Milwaukee Judge Hannah Dugan faces up to six years in prison after the FBI arrested her for helping an illegal alien with a violent past evade federal authorities.
The Wisconsin Supreme Court acted against Dugan as she faces felony charges for obstructing ICE agents attempting to detain a previously deported criminal in her courtroom.
The court wrote:
“This court is charged in the Wisconsin Constitution with exercising superintending and administrative authority over the courts of this state. In the exercise of that constitutional authority and in order to uphold the public’s confidence in the courts of this state during the pendency of the criminal proceeding against Judge Dugan, we conclude, on our own motion, that it is in the public interest that she be temporarily relieved of her official duties.”
The decision to remove Dugan from her official duties came swiftly after FBI agents arrested her at the Milwaukee County Courthouse.
Dugan faces a felony charge of obstructing a federal proceeding and a misdemeanor charge for concealing an individual, carrying a potential six-year prison sentence if convicted.
Court documents reveal Dugan helped Eduardo Flores-Ruiz escape ICE agents by escorting him through a restricted door.
Flores-Ruiz is a previously deported illegal alien facing three misdemeanor battery charges.
He had allegedly beaten two people severely enough to require hospital treatment before appearing in Dugan’s courtroom, where federal agents waited to take him into custody.
The courtroom deputy noted Dugan’s actions were highly unusual, including her decision to use a jury door for a non-custody defendant.
After directing ICE agents to the court’s chief judge’s office, Dugan personally escorted Flores-Ruiz out through a restricted area, forcing federal agents to chase him down on foot before finally capturing him.
US Attorney General Pam Bondi blasted Dugan for prioritizing a criminal alien over American victims of domestic violence.
She said, “We could not believe that a judge really did that. You cannot obstruct a criminal case. And really, shame on her. It was a domestic violence case of all cases, and she’s protecting a criminal defendant over victims of crime.”
The Trump administration characterized Dugan’s actions as “intentionally misdirecting federal agents,” calling her behavior “shocking and shameful” for a sitting judge.
FBI Director Kash Patel emphasized the public safety risk created by Dugan’s obstruction.
He wrote on social media: “Thankfully our agents chased down the perp on foot and he’s been in custody since, but the Judge’s obstruction created increased danger to the public.”
Dugan has been released on her own recognizance without entering a plea and is scheduled to appear in federal court on May 15.
Her caseload has been reassigned to other judges while the investigation continues.
Her attorney claims she “wholeheartedly regrets and protests her arrest” while disputing reports about her actions and promising to fight the charges vigorously.
The unprecedented arrest of a sitting judge sends a clear message that no one is above the law when it comes to protecting American communities from criminal aliens who violate immigration laws.
