Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan has been charged with felonies related to her alleged actions during a federal immigration arrest operation, as a reserve judge steps in to handle her caseload. According to WISN, Milwaukee County Chief Judge Carl Ashley confirmed that starting today, a reserve judge would take over Dugan's cases. The FBI arrested Dugan last Friday at the Milwaukee County Courthouse, charging her with obstruction after she reportedly interfered with the arrest of Eduardo Flores Ruiz, an undocumented immigrant.
Accusations against Judge Dugan, aged 65, include obstructing a U.S. agency and concealing Flores-Ruiz to prevent his detention after he appeared in her courtroom on battery charges, detailed in a 13-page complaint as seen in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel; the charges against Dugan carry possibly a maximum of six years in prison coupled with a $350,000 fine. Flores-Ruiz, who had a pretrial conference before Dugan on April 18, was facing three misdemeanor counts of battery/domestic abuse.
FBI Director Kash Patel made the initial announcement of Judge Dugan's arrest on social media, claiming she intentionally attempted to misdirect law enforcement from detaining Flores-Ruiz. ABC News reports that despite Dugan's alleged efforts, Flores-Ruiz was apprehended following a foot chase, and court records suggest the judge's obstruction may have increased public safety risks.
Dugan was released on her own recognizance after her initial appearance before federal Judge Stephen Dries, facing counts including concealing a person from discovery and arrest and obstruction of federal government proceedings. Her future in the court system is now uncertain as her cases have been handed over to another judge and her own legal process unfolds, as the name of the reserve judge assigned to her cases has not been released to the public at this time.
