Milwaukee Judge Convicted of Felony Obstruction

A federal jury in Milwaukee convicted Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan of felony obstruction on Thursday for actions she took in April to impede the arrest of a Mexican national facing domestic battery charges. The verdict, reached after six hours of deliberation, stemmed from an incident at the Milwaukee County Courthouse where Dugan escorted defendant Eduardo Flores-Ruiz and his attorney through a private exit, allowing him to briefly evade Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents waiting outside her courtroom.

The case centered on events from April 18, when Flores-Ruiz, 31, appeared before Dugan for a hearing on three misdemeanor counts of battery involving domestic abuse. Flores-Ruiz had previously been deported and re-entered the United States illegally, prompting ICE agents to obtain an administrative warrant for his arrest. Six plainclothes agents arrived at the courthouse that morning, coordinating with local security to wait until after the hearing before acting.

Court records and witness testimony described a tense scene as Dugan prepared for her docket. A court clerk notified her of the agents' presence in the hallway. Dugan left the bench, confronted one...