Former Wisconsin judge Hannah Dugan was fined $5,000 but spared prison for helping an undocumented immigrant evade ICE agents in 2025.
A federal court has ruled that a former Wisconsin judge will not serve prison time after being convicted of felony obstruction for helping an undocumented immigrant evade federal law enforcement agents.
U.S. District Judge Lynn Adelman determined during a sentencing hearing on Wednesday that prison time was unnecessary for former Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan, 67. Instead, the court ordered her to pay a $5,000 fine. The decision concludes a highly charged legal battle that became a national flashpoint for immigration enforcement and judicial independence.
The conviction stems from an incident on April 18, 2025, at the Milwaukee County Courthouse. Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, a Mexican national facing misdemeanor battery charges, appeared in Dugan’s courtroom for a scheduled hearing. Six federal officers from the FBI, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) were waiting in the hallway to arrest him on an administrative warrant for illegal re-entry.
According to court records, Dugan became visibly angry upon learning of the agents’ presence and questioned the validity of their administrative warrant. She directed the federal agents to report to the chief judge’s office down the hall. While the agents were away from the immediate area, Dugan adjourned the hearing, rescheduled it via Zoom, and instructed Flores-Ruiz and his defense attorney to exit through a private door normally reserved for jury members.
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Despite the detour, Flores-Ruiz did not escape. Federal agents spotted him in the corridor, pursued him outside, and arrested him following a brief foot chase in the rain. Flores-Ruiz was subsequently deported in November.
A week after the incident, FBI agents arrested Dugan at the courthouse, leading her out in handcuffs. In December 2025, a federal jury found Dugan guilty of one felony count of obstructing an official proceeding, though she was acquitted of a misdemeanor charge of concealing an individual from arrest. Following her conviction, Dugan resigned from her position on the bench in January amid mounting impeachment threats from Wisconsin Republican lawmakers.
The case was heavily leveraged by the Trump administration and its supporters, who framed the judge’s actions as a dangerous example of a politicized justice system. Following her initial arrest, high-profile officials publicized photos of Dugan in handcuffs to emphasize that public officials are not above the law.
Conversely, Dugan’s defense team argued that the prosecution was an attempt by the federal government to intimidate local judiciaries into compliance with aggressive courthouse immigration enforcement. Ahead of her sentencing, Dugan addressed the court, stating that she acted out of concern for the decorum and safety of her courtroom rather than out of malice. She described herself as a public servant who was simply trying to do her job.
Federal prosecutors pushed for a serious sentence, citing federal guidelines that recommended 15 to 21 months in prison, arguing that Dugan abused her position of public trust. However, Judge Adelman chose leniency, pointing to Dugan’s nine-year career on the bench and a lifetime of community service. Adelman characterized the event as a brief lapse in judgment that deviated from an otherwise law-abiding life, noting also that her actions did not ultimately prevent law enforcement from detaining the suspect.
Dugan’s legal team has maintained that the conviction is legally flawed, arguing that an administrative arrest warrant does not constitute a “pending proceeding” required under federal obstruction laws. They have announced plans to appeal the verdict to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit.
