Former Wisconsin judge gets no prison time for obstructing ICE

MILWAUKEE ‒ A former Wisconsin judge received no prison time or probation on July 8 after being convicted of obstructing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers who were attempting to make an arrest outside her courtroom.

Former Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan, 67, was convicted of felony obstruction in December 2025 after she was accused of helping a man evade immigration authorities. During her sentencing on July 8, U.S. District Judge Lynn Adelman said prison and probation were unnecessary, noting Dugan has lived a life of public service and is not at risk of reoffending.

The judge fined her $5,000, saying the sentence was fitting for “a few minutes of conduct” by a person who has dedicated her life to helping the poor. Under the federal sentencing guidelines, the presentence report called for 15 to 20 months behind bars. The maximum sentence was five years in prison.

“This is the case of a good person, upset by immigration enforcement in this country, a sentiment widely shared, making a bad decision in the moment,” Adelman said during the sentencing.

Adelman, a former Democratic state lawmaker nominated by former President Bill Clinton, said Dugan has suffered many consequences, including losing her job, having to move and withdrawing from public life, which amounts to “significant punishment” regardless of his sentence.

Earlier this year, Dugan announced she was resigning from the judgeship she had held for nine years after facing calls from Republican state lawmakers to impeach her and remove her from the bench. The case thrust the Milwaukee native to the forefront of a clash between local judges and the Trump administration over immigration enforcement.

‘I am just a person who was trying to do my job’

Dugan spoke in front of a packed courtroom, breaking a silence that had stretched for more than a year. The former judge said she was trying to do the right thing on the day ICE officers were outside her courtroom.

At that time, people were afraid to come to court for fear of encountering immigration agents, she said. 

“I have been cast as both a scofflaw and a hero. I am neither. I am just a person who was trying to do my job,” Dugan said, at one time getting choked up as she spoke to Adelman.

Dugan did not apologize for her actions but said she takes the conviction seriously, adding that she came to court with a “heavy heart.” Because of the case, Dugan said she had to stop her practice of attending community events, but hopes to return to that.

“I intend to contribute to civic life and return to my focus on service,” Dugan said. “I will not let those minutes on April 18 define my life.”

One of Dugan’s attorneys, Jason Luczak, said after the sentencing, “She has lost so much. ... The collateral consequences to her were great, and we appreciate that the judge [Adelman] took that into consideration.”

Former Wisconsin judge’s attorneys to appeal conviction

A jury found Dugan guilty of obstructing a federal immigration proceeding, a felony, and not guilty of a misdemeanor charge of concealing a fugitive whom ICE agents were seeking to arrest in December 2025. 

The team will appeal Dugan’s conviction, Luczak said, advancing “arguments that we think were right all along.” The defense will appeal the case to the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals.

On appeal, Dugan’s lawyers may advance arguments they have made since the indictment. They contended the case should be dismissed on several grounds, including that Dugan had judicial immunity and that the obstruction statute was incorrectly applied. 

Dugan’s lawyers also may go after Adelman’s jury instructions as being wrong.

Government notes lack of acceptance

In court, Executive Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard Frohling agreed that Dugan has led a life of service and received consequences, but the veteran federal prosecutor noted she and her legal team have taken no responsibility for her actions. 

Frohling said the defense has continued to justify Dugan’s conduct as reasonable or blame others.

“That makes this a little different situation,” Frohling said, adding the sentence should address the “broader institutional harm caused when a judge obstructs the administration of justice.”

“Dugan’s reckless and illegal actions interfered with that goal and created unnecessary risks for all involved,” First Assistant U. S. Attorney Brad Schimel said in a statement after the sentencing. “For that, there needed to be serious consequences.”

Steve Biskupic, one of Dugan’s attorneys, said every judge in the country is aware of what happened to Dugan, who was arrested at work, handcuffed, and led through two courthouses. He said she became a “poster child” for the Trump administration’s battle with local judges.

“What possible further deterrence is necessary?” Biskupic said. “What judge is looking at this case and saying, ‘Yes, sign me up for the Hannah Dugan treatment?’”

Submitting nearly 20 letters of support from diverse sources, Dugan’s team said she “has been punished enough.” Former Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Janine Geske, who is now on faculty at Marquette Law School, and Gregory P. O’Meara, rector of the Marquette University Jesuit Community, spoke on Dugan’s behalf. 

They both noted her decades of service to the underserved, fueled by her Catholic faith. Geske said Dugan has been a quiet force for the needy for many years, exceeding that of any judge she knows. 

“Everywhere, she has been working for the poor and disabled,” Geske said.

First case of its kind to go to trial

The case against Dugan was sparked by the events of April 18, 2025, when ICE officers came to Dugan’s courtroom to arrest defendant Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, who had illegally reentered the United States and was set to appear in her courtroom on battery charges.

Six members of the Milwaukee ICE task force dressed in plain clothes and went to the county courthouse to arrest Flores-Ruiz at about 8 a.m. local time, according to a criminal complaint. They then informed the bailiff in Dugan’s courtroom that they were planning the arrest, agreeing to wait until after his court appearance.

Dugan and another judge questioned the arrest warrant and directed them to the chief judge’s office, video showed. Dugan returned to her courtroom, called Flores-Ruiz’s case, and then led him and his lawyer into a hallway reserved for staff and jurors.

Flores-Ruiz and his attorney emerged in the public corridor. Two officers who were still in the hall followed Flores-Ruiz and eventually arrested him after a short foot chase outside the courthouse.

Dugan was arrested by FBI agents on April 25 and charged with obstructing federal officers. Her arrest sparked protests across Milwaukee, including outside the federal courthouse and outside the FBI Field Office.

Mexico to file criminal complaints in US over citizen deaths in immigration enforcement

Mexico’s government plans to file criminal complaints in the U.S. regarding Mexican citizens who died in immigration custody or while being targeted in anti-immigration operations, Foreign Minister Roberto Velasco said on Thursday. 

Fourteen Mexican nationals have lost their lives while in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and three more died in arrest operations conducted by the agency, Velasco told a press conference. 

“We are going to move beyond the diplomatic sphere and go directly to U.S. prosecutors to file complaints regarding these incidents, requesting that they are investigated as criminal matters,” Velasco said.

On Tuesday, a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent shot Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, 52, a Mexican national living in the U.S. illegally for three decades. 

His killing, which sparked protests in Houston, brought to at least six the number of people shot dead in immigration enforcement operations since January 2025, when President Donald Trump returned to office and launched a campaign of mass deportations.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Department of Justice didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. 

Isabella Russomanno, Zachary Suri, Daniel Bice and Vanessa Swales with The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and Reuters contributed to this report.

Copyright Reuters or USA Today Network via Reuters Connect

This story was originally published July 9, 2026 at 11:43 AM.