Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan, 67, was slated for sentencing Wednesday, but U.S. District Judge Lynn Adelman postponed the proceedings indefinitely to hear arguments on whether to overturn her December 19 conviction for felony obstruction after helping an immigrant evade federal officers.
Former Judge’s Attorney Points to Virginia Case
Dugan’s attorney, Steven Biskupic, argued that the conviction was invalid because a federal appeals court in April overturned a key Virginia immigration case that the prosecution had cited. The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled the ICE action was not a “pending proceeding” under federal obstruction law. Biskupic contended that the warrant filed for the immigrant’s arrest did not constitute a proceeding, and therefore the law did not apply to Dugan’s case.
Prosecutors countered that the Virginia case involved different facts and that other cases support Dugan’s conviction.
Dugan’s Sentencing Was Postponed for New Arguments
The delayed sentencing is part of a broader judicial examination of how federal law applies to state judges who intervene in immigration matters. Although Dugan faces up to five years in prison, sentencing guidelines generally recommend probation for nonviolent offenses and defendants with no criminal record.
She resigned from her position as a Milwaukee County circuit judge two weeks after her conviction amid threats of impeachment from Republican state lawmakers. Dugan was present at the Wednesday arguments but did not speak.
Dugan Structured an Incident Involving ICE Agents
On April 18, 2025, ICE officers arrived at the Milwaukee County courthouse to arrest Eduardo Flores‑Ruiz, who had reentered the U.S. illegally and was scheduled to appear before Dugan for a state battery hearing. Dugan met with the agents outside her courtroom and directed them toward the chief judge’s office, insisting that the administrative warrant in question did not provide adequate grounds for arrest. After the agents departed, Dugan led Flores‑Ruiz and his attorney through a private jury door. ICE officials later located Flores‑Ruiz, pursued him a short distance, and arrested him.
A week later, federal agents seized Dugan in the courthouse and placed her in handcuffs. Flores‑Ruiz was subsequently deported in November.
The case is the first instance in Wisconsin where a state judge faced trial on charges of obstructing immigration agents. While Dugan was acquitted of a misdemeanor for concealing an individual to avoid arrest, the felony conviction for obstruction remains in dispute as judges weigh the legal precedent set by the Virginia decision.
