Milwaukee judge not immune from charges after allegedly helping illegal immigrant evade ICE, prosecutors say
Share this @internewscast.com

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

Federal prosecutors are opposing Milwaukee Judge Hannah Dugan’s effort to have an indictment against her dismissed. The indictment accuses her of allegedly assisting an illegal immigrant in avoiding capture by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers within the Milwaukee County Courthouse last month.

Judge Dugan, aged 65, faced an indictment last month on federal charges for obstructing proceedings that were before a U.S. agency, alongside charges of unlawfully hiding an individual who was subject to arrest.

According to court documents submitted in late May, her defense team argues that she deserves judicial immunity and claims that the federal government exceeded its jurisdiction by arresting and charging her, thus infringing on her 10th Amendment rights and breaching the principle of separation of powers.

On Wednesday, prosecutors filed a response to her motion to dismiss, noting that “the Supreme Court has made clear that judges are not immune from criminal liability.”

Judge Hannah Dugan appears to speak with ICE agents in the Milwaukee County Courthouse

Judge Hannah Dugan allegedly told agents that they needed a judicial warrant and told them to go to the Chief Judge’s Office. (Milwaukee County)

Prosecutors say evidence also shows Dugan directing agents to the chief judge’s office even while knowing he was out, then she “quickly returned to her courtroom and, among other things, directed [Florez-Ruiz’s] attorney to ‘take your client out and come back and get a date; and then to go through the jury door and down the stairs’ before physically escorting [Flroes-Ruiz] and his attorney into a non-public hallway with access to a stairwell that led to a courthouse exit,” filings say.

Dugan “did this all just days after thanking a colleague for providing information which explained that ICE could lawfully make arrests in the courthouse hall,” prosecutors stated Wednesday.

Judge Hannah Dugan in courthouse

The surveillance footage released by Milwaukee County appears to show Judge Hannah Dugan, wearing her black robes, confronting ICE agents in the courthouse hallway. (Milwaukee County)

“Put simply, nothing in the indictment or the anticipated evidence at trial supports Dugan’s assertion that agents ‘disrupted’ the court’s docket; instead, all events arose from Dugan’s unilateral, non-judicial, and unofficial actions in obstructing a federal immigration matter over which she, as a Wisconsin state judge, had no authority,” the document reads. “At the very least, for purposes of deciding this motion, Dugan’s claims to the contrary find no support in the indictment and should be rejected.”

One of Dugan’s defense attorneys, Dean Strang, told Fox News Digital that her counsel has a “good reply” to prosecutors’ Wednesday filing, but her team is waiting until their reply brief, due next Monday, to make it.

The Milwaukee judge has pleaded not guilty to charges filed against her, and a federal judge has set her trial date for July 21.

Judge Hannah Dugan arrested

The FBI is seen arresting Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan on April 25. (Obtained by Fox News)

A federal indictment accuses Dugan of “falsely” telling federal officials in April that they needed a warrant to come into her courtroom during a scheduled appearance by Flores-Ruiz, an undocumented Mexican national facing three misdemeanor battery charges.

Video footage appears to show Flores-Ruiz exiting the courthouse with his attorney, while an ICE agent follows him, and then running alongside the building for about a block before agents capture and arrest him.

Federal officials arrested Dugan a week after the courthouse incident.

Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan leaves the Milwaukee Federal Courthouse on May 15, 2025 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Judge Hannah Dugan appeared in federal court to answer charges that she helped Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, an undocumented immigrant, elude federal arrest while he was making an appearance in her courtroom on April 18. (Scott Olson)

Dugan could face a maximum sentence of six years. She has pleaded not guilty to the charges filed against her. Fox News Digital has reached out to her attorney, Craig Mastantuono, for comment on the footage.

In April, Dugan’s legal team also filed a motion to dismiss the federal case against her, saying the judge “is entitled to judicial immunity for her official acts.”

“Immunity is not a defense to the prosecution to be determined later by a jury or court; it is an absolute bar to the prosecution at the outset,” the motion said.

Fox News Digital’s Rachel Wolf contributed to this report.

Share this @internewscast.com
You May Also Like
Knicks to sign ex-Spurs playmaker Jeremy Sochan: sources

New York Knicks Reportedly Set to Acquire Former Spurs Guard Jeremy Sochan

The New York Knicks are bolstering their roster with a strategic addition…
Readers sound off on Bad Bunny, a holdout hospital and remaking Penn Station

Unfiltered Opinions: Bad Bunny’s Impact, Hospital Standoff, and Penn Station’s Transformation

Bad Bunny performed unity for our divided U.S. Forked River, N.J.: Bad…
Former FBI agent calls holster setup in Nancy Guthrie case 'incredibly amateur and unsafe'

Ex-FBI Agent Slams ‘Amateur’ Holster Setup in Nancy Guthrie Case: A Safety Disaster Unveiled

In Tucson, Arizona, former FBI agents have raised concerns over a questionable…
NYPD releases mugshot, identifies suspect wanted for 2024 fatal shooting of Bronx teen

NYPD Unveils Mugshot, Names Suspect in 2024 Bronx Teen Fatal Shooting Investigation

In a significant development surrounding the tragic shooting of 17-year-old Sincere Campbell,…
CBP supervisor accused of harboring illegal immigrant in his Texas home faces criminal charges

Texas CBP Supervisor Faces Charges for Allegedly Sheltering Undocumented Immigrant in His Home

A supervisor with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has found…
DNA splatter suggests Nancy Guthrie was bleeding from ‘either the hands or face,' expert says

Expert Analysis Reveals Blood Pattern Indicates Possible Hand or Face Injury in Nancy Guthrie Case

As the search for 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie enters its second week, investigators…
NCSO: Man dies from self-inflicted gunshot wound after hourslong standoff at Callahan home

Tragic Conclusion: Callahan Standoff Ends with Man’s Self-Inflicted Gunshot Fatality, Confirms NCSO

Kenneth Presgraves was reportedly instructed to avoid his residence prior to the…
Immigration authorities had surveilled Marimar Martinez, Chicago woman shot 5 times during 'Operation Midway Blitz': CBP Report

Revealed: The Shocking Surveillance of Chicago’s Marimar Martinez Before Operation Midway Blitz Shooting

CHICAGO (WLS) — Marimar Martinez, a Chicago resident, was shot by federal…
'Erratic fire behavior': 30-acre Putnam County wildfire now 90% contained

Putnam County Wildfire: 30-Acre Blaze Exhibits Erratic Behavior, Now 90% Contained

A wildfire spanning 30 acres reached 90% containment by Thursday evening, after…
Convicted drive-by killer executed in Oklahoma, requested classic fast-food feast as final meal

Oklahoma Executes Convicted Killer Who Chose Fast-Food Feast for Last Meal

On Tuesday, Kendrick Simpson, convicted of a double murder, was executed by…
DOT closes major commercial trucking loophole blamed for illegal immigrants causing fatal crashes

DOT Shuts Down Key Trucking Loophole Linked to Fatal Crashes Involving Undocumented Immigrants

The Department of Transportation (DOT) has taken decisive action to close a…
DCPS to 'adjust' relocation plans after prospective developers back out

DCPS to Revise Relocation Strategy Following Withdrawal of Prospective Developers

In a recent development, the Duval County Public Schools (DCPS) headquarters on…