MILWAUKEE – In a stunning rebuke to judicial independence, the Wisconsin Supreme Court suspended Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan without pay on Tuesday, stripping her of her bench duties amid federal charges for allegedly helping an undocumented immigrant slip away from ICE agents in her courtroom. The 65-year-old jurist, arrested by the FBI in April, faces felony counts of obstruction of justice and concealing a person from arrest—a case that’s electrified the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown and drawn sharp partisan lines.
The incident unfolded April 18 during a routine battery hearing for Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, a 30-year-old Mexican national facing misdemeanor charges after a violent domestic dispute that hospitalized his roommate and a woman. Flores-Ruiz, deported in 2013 and illegally re-entered, was the target of an ICE warrant. As six federal agents from ICE, FBI, and DEA entered the Milwaukee courthouse, Dugan allegedly misdirected them to the chief judge’s office, then escorted Flores-Ruiz and his attorney out a jury door. The fugitive bolted down the street but was tackled after a brief chase.
FBI Director Kash Patel announced the arrest on social media, blasting Dugan’s actions as “obstruction” that endangered the public. Prosecutors, in a June filing rejecting her immunity claim, argued her moves were “unilateral, non-judicial, and unofficial,” overstepping her authority in immigration matters. Dugan’s attorneys countered that her conduct fell under absolute judicial immunity for official acts, filing a motion to dismiss. The Supreme Court’s order, issued without comment, cited the need to preserve “public confidence in the judiciary,” leaving a reserve judge to fill her docket.
The suspension amplifies a national rift. Attorney General Pam Bondi hailed it as proof “no one is above the law,” tying it to Trump’s mass deportation pledge. Democrats, including Gov. Tony Evers, decried the arrest as an “attack on the judiciary,” warning of eroded local autonomy in sanctuary debates. Dugan’s case echoes a 2018 Massachusetts probe of Judge Shelley Joseph, still unresolved after seven years. With a federal hearing set for October, her fate hangs in balance: A principled stand for due process, or a blatant shield for fugitives? As Operation Secure Horizon ramps up, this courtroom caper underscores the high stakes of federal might clashing with state benches.
