Judge weighs overturning former Wisconsin judge's conviction

A federal judge is weighing whether to overturn the felony obstruction conviction of a former Wisconsin judge, a case that emerged from a confrontation with immigration agents at a courthouse last year. The sentencing for former Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan was postponed indefinitely on Wednesday as U.S. District Judge Lynn Adelman heard oral arguments on a defense motion to throw out the jury's guilty verdict.

Dugan, 67, was convicted by a jury on December 19 for obstructing a proceeding. The charge stemmed from an incident on April 18, 2025, when U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents went to the Milwaukee County courthouse to arrest a man, Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, who was living in the U.S. without legal documentation and was scheduled for a hearing in a state battery case. Prosecutors argued that Dugan obstructed justice by allowing Flores-Ruiz and his attorney to exit the courtroom through a non-public hallway, an action they said was taken to avoid the waiting agents. Agents later arrested Flores-Ruiz after a foot chase; he was deported in November.

The central legal question now is whether the jury was given proper instructions. Dugan’s attorney,...