The Wisconsin Supreme Court suspended the judge of the Milwaukee County Circuit Court, Hannah Dugan, after she was arrested by the FBI and accused last week for allegedly helping an undocumented immigrant to evade the arrest, shows an order of the court.
“The Court learned that the judge of the Milwaukee County Circuit Court, Hannah C. Dugan, has been accused of two federal criminal crimes, one of which is a serious crime and one of which is a minor crime,” said a two -page order from the court presented on Tuesday.
“This Court is accused in the Wisconsin Constitution of exercising the superintendent and administrative authority on the courts of this State. In the exercise of that constitutional authority and to defend the public’s confidence in the courts of this State during the plot of the criminal procedures against Judge Dugan, we conclude, in our own movement, which is in the public interest that is temporarily confirmed by its official Holys.”
In this archive photo of February 24, 2025, the judge of the Court of the Milwaukee County Circuit, Hannah Dugan, speaks during a concentration that marks the third anniversary of the invasion of Ukraine of Russia, in Milwaukee, Wis.
Lee Matz/Milwaukee Independent through AP, file
Dugan was accused of two criminal charges of “obstructing and preventing a procedure before an United States department or agency” and “hiding a person to avoid their discovery and arrest,” according to a criminal complaint without sealing on Friday.
The Supreme Court of Wisconsin said that Dugan is “temporarily prohibited from exercising the powers of a circuit court judge in the Wisconsin state,” from Tuesday to more order of the Court.
Before the order, a Milwaukee County official said this week that as of Monday, a reserve judge will cover the cases of Dugan.
The judge was arrested on Friday for allegedly helping an undocumented immigrant to “evade the arrest” the previous week, according to the director of the FBI, Kash Patel, who said on the social networks that they drew “intentionally directed federal agents away from the subject to be arrested in their court.”
The United States Attorney General Pamela Bondi said in a statement that two FBI agents arrested Dugan “for allegedly helping an illegal foreigner to avoid arrest” for the application of immigration and customs.
An opinion shows a sign with the name of Wisconsin County Judge, Hannah Dugan, within the Milwaukee County Court, after Dugan was arrested by US officials, accusing her of helping a man in his court evading immigration authorities in a climbing dispute between President Donald Trump and local officials on the application of immigration, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 2525.
Vincent Alban/Reuters
Olapan appeared in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin on Friday for both positions, but did not declare a statement. It was released by its own recognition.
His lawyer, former United States prosecutor Steven Biskupic said the judge “will defend himself vigorously and hopes to be exonerated.”
“Judge Hannah C. Dugan has committed to the rule of law and the principles of due process for his entire career and judge,” Biskupic said in a statement on Friday.
If it is declared guilty for the charges, Dugan could face up to six years in prison.
His case is due to the arrest of an undocumented immigrant, Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, on April 18, as shown in the County Judicial Registries. Flores-Ruiz appeared in court that day before Dugan for a conference prior to the trial in an ongoing case in which he was accused of three minor crimes of battery/domestic abuse.
By learning from ICE officers present in the Court to arrest Flores-Ruiz, they allegedly “visibly angry” and faced one of the officers, according to the federal complaint.
Multiple witnesses cited in the complaint later said that Dugan returned to their courtroom after directing the members of the arrest team to the Office of the main judge of the Court, according to the complaint.
A DEA agent saw Flores-Ruiz and his lawyer in the public hall of the court and seemed to be making efforts to evade the arrest, according to the complaint. After the FBI and the DEA agents found themselves out of the building, Flores-Ruiz “turned around and ran down the street” before being detained ultimately, according to the complaint.
