Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan was convicted of felony obstruction after a jury found she interfered with ICE agents during a courthouse incident earlier this year.
According to courtroom reporting by ABC affiliate WISN, the jury returned a split verdict, finding Dugan guilty of obstructing federal agents but not guilty of a second charge alleging she concealed an undocumented man from arrest.
Dugan had been charged in a two-count federal indictment and stood accused of obstructing official Department of Homeland Security removal proceedings and knowingly concealing the man from immigration authorities during an April incident at the Milwaukee County Courthouse.
The case focused on the attempted arrest of Eduardo Flores-Ruiz. Federal authorities identified him as an undocumented immigrant with separate state charges and prosecutors stated that immigration agents arrived at the courthouse to take Flores-Ruiz into custody. They were positioned outside Dugan’s courtroom.
Prosecutors accused Dugan of helping Flores-Ruiz and his attorney escape the courtroom through a secure hallway that is usually reserved for court staff and judges. This allowed him to avoid the agents who were waiting in the public area. Surveillance footage shown during the trial reportedly showed Flores-Ruiz leaving through the secure corridor. However, he didn’t get far as federal agents caught Flores-Ruiz outside the courthouse after a short foot chase, based on testimony and evidence presented during the trial.
🚨BREAKING: Federal jury in Milwaukee has found Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan GUILTY of a felony obstruction charge for interfering with federal immigration agents’ attempt to arrest an illegal alien at her courthouse.
She was acquitted of a related misdemeanor… pic.twitter.com/aHGlUfvchp
— I Meme Therefore I Am 🇺🇸 (@ImMeme0) December 19, 2025
Prosecutors also claimed that Dugan’s actions interfered with a lawful federal enforcement operation and they argued that she disrupted ICE agents as they tried to carry out a removal proceeding. They maintained that her behavior went beyond normal courtroom actions and crossed into intentional obstruction.
Dugan’s defense team tried to argue that she was acting within her authority as a judge and following courthouse procedures. Her attorneys maintained that she did not intend to help anyone evade arrest and said she directed federal agents to courthouse leadership rather than interfering with their work.
The jury ultimately rejected the concealment charge, finding Dugan not guilty of knowingly hiding an undocumented immigrant from arrest. However, jurors concluded that her actions met the legal threshold for obstructing federal agents.
The obstruction conviction carries a potential sentence of up to five years in federal prison and her sentencing date is yet to be scheduled.
Dugan has been suspended from the bench during the legal proceedings and the conviction will likely have consequences for her judicial career under Wisconsin rules governing judges convicted of felonies.
It’s not every day that there is a prosecution of a sitting judge, and it raises questions about how immigration enforcement actions intersect with state court operations. ICE has clashed with law enforcement officials in several states, but this is a unique case regarding a sitting judge and the accusations.
Dugan’s attorneys have indicated she plans to appeal the conviction and no further hearings have been scheduled at this time.
