Judges don’t usually become defendants in criminal court, but that’s what happened recently to a Milwaukee County judge. Hannah Dugan presided over a domestic violence case involving Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, a Mexican citizen who doesn’t have legal status in the United States. (In 2013, immigration authorities had returned him to Mexico, and there’s no evidence that he applied to come back to the U.S. since then.)
The criminal case alerted Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to the presence of Flores-Ruiz. An immigration official issued a warrant to take him into custody for removal proceedings. ICE knew that Flores-Ruiz had a hearing in his criminal case on April 18, so a group of plainclothes agents went to the courthouse to arrest him. When Judge Dugan learned of their presence, according to court documents, she angrily confronted the arrest team. She asserted that they needed a judicial warrant to take Flores-Ruiz into custody. Eventually, she told them to speak with the Chief Judge.
Meanwhile, Judge Dugan returned to her courtroom. According to witnesses, she helped Flores-Ruiz and his attorney leave the courtroom through the “jury door,” which leads to a non-public area. Flores-Ruiz successfully left the building, but members of the arrest team chased him down on foot and arrested him.
Last Friday, the FBI arrested Judge Dugan. She now faces two felony charges in federal court. One of these charges involves obstruction of justice under 18 U.S.C. Section 1505, which prohibits obstructing or impeding a proceeding of a federal department or agency. The other charge cites 18 U.S.C. Section 1071, which prohibits concealing a person to prevent their discovery and arrest. Each charge generally carries up to five years of imprisonment.
This episode shows the readiness of the federal government to go after local and state officials who don’t cooperate with federal immigration enforcement. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi has claimed that some judges “think they are beyond and above the law.” However, Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson suggested that the incident could put public safety at risk by making people afraid to come to court. Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers released a statement criticizing the Trump administration, while broadly asserting his faith in the justice system. Meanwhile, Judge Dugan made an initial appearance in court and was released from custody as the case proceeds.
Photo Credit: Joe Ferrer / Shutterstock.com
