Former Milwaukee Judge Sentenced to $5,000 Fine, No Jail

A former Milwaukee County judge was sentenced on Wednesday, July 8, 2026, to a $5,000 fine and no prison time after being convicted of obstructing federal immigration agents inside her own courthouse. Hannah Dugan, 67, faced a felony conviction that carried a maximum sentence of five years, but U.S. District Judge Lynn Adelman imposed only the financial penalty.

The case stemmed from an incident on April 18, 2025, when Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrived at the Milwaukee County Courthouse to arrest Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, a Mexican national who had illegally reentered the United States after a prior deportation and was scheduled for a hearing on misdemeanor domestic battery charges in Dugan’s courtroom. Federal prosecutors said Dugan confronted the agents, incorrectly told them they needed a judicial warrant, and directed them to the chief judge’s office. While the agents were away, she then escorted Flores-Ruiz and his attorney out of the courtroom through a restricted, non-public “jury door” exit.

Agents spotted Flores-Ruiz in a corridor and arrested him after a brief foot chase outside the courthouse. He was later deported in November 2025. A federal jury...