MILWAUKEE (AP) — A federal judge is currently reviewing whether to reverse a jury's guilty verdict against former Wisconsin Judge Hannah Dugan, who was convicted of felony obstruction for assisting an immigrant in evading federal officers. The case represents a significant test of judicial response to the Trump administration's aggressive immigration policies.
Hannah Dugan had been scheduled for sentencing on Wednesday; however, U.S. District Judge Lynn Adelman suspended the proceedings indefinitely to deliberate on arguments regarding the potential overturning of her conviction. No ruling was made in court, and both Dugan and the attorneys involved exited the courtroom without making comments to the media.
Dugan's lawyer, Steven Biskupic, argued that the conviction should be deemed invalid, particularly in light of a recent federal appeals court decision in April that overturned a pivotal Virginia immigration case used as a reference in Dugan's trial. He claimed that Dugan was erroneously convicted under a specific federal law because the conditions stated in the appealed case were not applicable to her situation.
Biskupic emphasized, “Our primary argument is this was an invalid theory of conviction.” He referred to the Virginia case in which an undocumented immigrant was captured by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and later escaped, eventually being recaptured and indicted for obstructing an immigration proceeding. The federal appeals court determined that the ICE action did not represent a “pending proceeding,” a requirement for conviction under the obstruction statute.
In Dugan's case, her legal team maintained that there was no “pending proceeding” against the immigrant, identified as Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, during the hearing in her courtroom, as the ICE agents only had a warrant for his arrest. Biskupic noted that the mere filing of a warrant fails to meet the criteria for creating a legal proceeding under the obstruction law.
Conversely, prosecutors highlighted the differences between Dugan’s case and the Virginia ruling, arguing that there are other legal precedents that uphold Dugan's conviction. Richard Frohling, the acting U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, stated, “The court should stick with its ruling.” He contested the appeals court's decision in the Virginia case and noted the ambiguous nature of what constitutes a proceeding in legal terms, suggesting it can vary considerably in duration.
Initially convicted on December 19, Dugan, 67, faces a maximum of five years in prison for her actions. However, legal experts suggest it is improbable that she will receive a prison sentence given her lack of prior criminal history and the nonviolent nature of her offense, which typically leads to probation under federal guidelines.
Following her conviction, Dugan resigned from her role as a Milwaukee County circuit judge two weeks later amid impending impeachment efforts from Republican lawmakers. Dugan, who had served as a judge for nine years, chose not to comment during Wednesday’s proceedings but was present in the courtroom.
The charges against Dugan originated from actions taken during the Trump administration, which aggressively pursued stricter immigration enforcement. The former president’s administration characterized Dugan as an activist judge, while Dugan's defense claimed that she faced undue prosecution for carrying out her judicial responsibilities.
Dugan's case marked a notable event in Wisconsin legal history, being the first instance where a state judge stood trial for obstructing immigration officials. While she was acquitted of a misdemeanor charge related to concealing individuals to prevent arrest, her conviction for felony obstruction remains a significant legal controversy.
On April 18, 2025, immigration officers arrived at the Milwaukee County courthouse after discovering that Flores-Ruiz had reentered the United States illegally and was scheduled for a state battery hearing before Dugan. There, Dugan engaged with the agents outside her courtroom, directing them toward the chief judge's office, arguing that their administrative warrant lacked sufficient authority for arrest. Following her interference, she escorted Flores-Ruiz through a private jury exit to evade the agents, leading to a dramatic foot chase culminating in his eventual arrest. Shortly after, Dugan faced her own arrest by FBI agents on courthouse premises, resulting in her being led away in handcuffs. Flores-Ruiz was later deported in November 2025.
