Milwaukee judge guilty of felony obstruction during ICE arrest

By Jon Styf
The Center Square

Milwaukee Judge Hannah Dugan was found guilty of a felony charge of obstruction by a jury Thursday in a case involving the judge’s actions related to a defendant in her court that Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers were attempting to arrest outside of the courtroom.

The jury returned the verdict at 8:38 p.m. Central Time.

The jury found Dugan not guilty of a misdemeanor charge of concealing related to defendant Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, who was later arrested on the street outside the courthouse and has since been deported.

The obstruction charge could lead to up to five years in prison.

“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 the matter,” her legal team said. “We have planned for this potential outcome and our defense of Judge Dugan is just beginning.”

Video from the courthouse depicts Dugan speaking with ICE officers in the hallway outside her courtroom and defendant Flores-Ruiz walking through a back hallway with a person identified in an affidavit as his attorney before heading to an elevator and then being chased down and arrested on the street outside of the courthouse.

"Judge Dugan put her personal politics ahead of her sworn duty," Wisconsin Sen. Julian Bradley, R-New Berlin, wrote on social media. "Judges are supposed to enforce the law and protect the public, not play political activist from the bench."

The prosecution had plea negotiations with Dugan and her legal team but an agreement was not reached.

* * *

••• Publisher's note: A free press is critical to having well-informed voters and citizens. While some news organizations opt for paid websites or costly paywalls, The Highland County Press has maintained a free newspaper and website for the last 26 years for our community. If you would like to contribute to this service – and want it to continue – it would be greatly appreciated. Donations to help offset ever-rising expenses may be made to: The Highland County Press, P.O. Box 849, Hillsboro, Ohio 45133. Please include "for website" on the memo line.