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Former Wisconsin Judge Hannah Dugan sentenced for obstructing ICE arrest

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Former Wisconsin Judge Hannah Dugan was ordered to pay a $5,000 fine Wednesday for preventing the arrest of an illegal immigrant at the courthouse, but she will not serve any prison time.

Dugan, 67, was convicted last year of hindering a felony after federal agents tried to serve an arrest warrant on Eduardo Flores-Ruiz on April 18, 2025. Dugan was acquitted of a misdemeanor charge of concealing a person to avoid arrest. He faced up to five years in prison.

Prosecutors had asked for Dugan to be sentenced to between 15 and 21 months in prison.

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Former Milwaukee Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan was convicted of helping a defendant evade federal immigration agents outside the courtroom. (Lee Matz/Milwaukee Independent via AP)

Just before U.S. District Judge Lynn Adelman handed down his sentence Wednesday, Dugan addressed the case against him, defended his actions and announced his intention to “return to public service.”

“My actions that day were consistent with the concerns of the community at the courthouse,” Dugan said. “My judicial actions were not taken with any malice or to pursue any personal interest.”

“I have been forced to retire since the government arrested me… I resigned from my position in January so that voters could have a judge in my branch to start the new year,” he added. “I have been cast as a gallows and a hero. I am neither. I am simply a public servant trying to do my job. Your Honor, I will not let those minutes from April 18, 2025 define my life’s work. My intention is to return to public service.”

The FBI appears to have arrested Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan on April 25. (Taken from Fox News)

In January, Dugan resigned as a Milwaukee County circuit judge amid threats of impeachment from Republican state lawmakers who called him an activist judge.

Several people testified on his behalf before his sentencing.

“Hannah models what it means to be a Christian,” said the Rev. Gregory J. O’Meara, a Jesuit priest, attorney and law professor who met Dugan at the University of Wisconsin law school. “We have made arrangements to provide special services to him because he is struggling. I do not think there is a need for further punishment, deterrence, punishment or reform.”

Marquette University law professor Janine Geske said Dugan’s life was “not entirely defined by his work.”

“He was punished by being handcuffed… he was featured in the media… all he loved was sharing with others,” Geske said. “He lost his job and his income and is here to humbly ask you to give him the opportunity to return to society.”

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Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, 31, was deported to his native Mexico after months in detention following a Milwaukee judge’s allegation that he helped him evade arrest by immigration authorities. (Getty Images; Department of Homeland Security)

On the day of the incident, ICE agents arrived at the Milwaukee County courthouse after learning that Flores-Ruiz, 31, had re-entered the United States illegally and was scheduled to appear before Dugan for a hearing in his state battery case.

Learning that ICE agents were in the building, Dugan confronted them outside the courtroom, arguing that their executive orders were not sufficient to arrest Flores-Ruiz. Federal prosecutors said he told the agents to go down the hall to the chief judge’s office and then instructed Flores-Ruiz and his attorney to leave the courtroom through the back door.

Flores-Ruiz was spotted moments later by agents, who followed him outside and arrested him after a brief foot chase.

Dugan’s lawyers argued that he was protected from investigation because of his position as a judge. However, Adelman denied this claim.

“What judges across the country are hearing this case and saying, ‘Yes, sign me up?’ he says. There will be no crime wave of judges defying ICE. “No other judge has acted similarly.” Dugan’s defense attorney, Steve Biskupic, said in court Wednesday.

Prosecutors said Dugan violated his oath as a judge, putting the lives of law enforcement and the public at risk, while Republican lawmakers called him an activist judge.