MILWAUKEE — Former Milwaukee County Judge Hannah Dugan was sentenced Wednesday to pay a $5,000 fine but will serve no prison time after being convicted of obstructing federal immigration agents who were attempting to arrest an illegal immigrant at her courthouse last year.
At sentencing, U.S. District Judge Lynn Adelman suggested the defendant’s actions stemmed from frustration over U.S. immigration policy rather than criminal intent.
“I think this is a situation where an otherwise good person, upset by immigration policies in this country, made a bad decision in the moment,” Adelman said.
The sentence brings one of the Trump administration’s highest-profile immigration-related prosecutions to a close at the trial court level, though Dugan’s attorneys say they intend to appeal her conviction.
Judge Rejects Prison Sentence
U.S. District Judge Lynn Adelman declined to impose prison time or probation despite federal sentencing guidelines recommending between 15 and 21 months behind bars.
Instead, Adelman ordered Dugan to pay a $5,000 fine, citing her decades of public service, lack of a prior criminal record, and the significant personal and professional consequences she has already faced.
Dugan had faced a maximum sentence of five years in prison following her felony obstruction conviction.
Conviction Stemmed From ICE Courthouse Arrest
Federal prosecutors alleged Dugan intentionally interfered with an April 2025 immigration enforcement operation targeting Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, a Mexican national who had illegally reentered the United States and was appearing before her on state battery charges.
According to trial testimony, Dugan confronted federal agents outside her courtroom, questioned the legality of their administrative warrant and directed them toward the chief judge’s office. Prosecutors said she then escorted Flores-Ruiz and his attorney through a restricted jury door to avoid the officers waiting outside.
Agents ultimately spotted Flores-Ruiz outside the courthouse, pursued him on foot and took him into custody. He was later deported.
Jury Reached Split Verdict
A federal jury convicted Dugan in December on one count of felony obstruction while acquitting her on a separate misdemeanor charge alleging she concealed an individual to prevent arrest.
During the trial, prosecutors argued Dugan knowingly crossed the line from judicial independence into criminal obstruction by helping a defendant evade federal law enforcement.
Her attorneys countered that she was attempting to preserve courtroom order and protect the integrity of judicial proceedings rather than interfere with immigration enforcement.
Defense Plans Appeal
Following Wednesday’s sentencing, Dugan’s legal team confirmed they intend to appeal the conviction.
Her attorneys have argued throughout the case that the prosecution improperly criminalized actions taken in her capacity as a judge and warned the case could have a chilling effect on judicial independence. Those arguments were rejected before and during trial.
Landmark Immigration Case
The prosecution marked the first time a Wisconsin state judge stood trial on charges of obstructing federal immigration authorities. It also became one of the most closely watched legal battles stemming from President Donald Trump’s renewed immigration enforcement campaign during his second term.
Dugan resigned from the Milwaukee County bench earlier this year after Republican lawmakers threatened impeachment proceedings following her conviction.
Although she avoided incarceration, her felony conviction remains in place unless it is overturned on appeal.
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