The Wisconsin Supreme Court has suspended Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan after she was arrested by the FBI and charged last week for allegedly helping an undocumented immigrant evade arrest, an order from the court shows.
“The court has learned that Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Hannah C. Dugan has been charged with two federal criminal offenses, one of which is a felony and one of which is a misdemeanor,” a two-page order from the court filed Tuesday stated.
“This court is charged in the Wisconsin Constitution with exercising superintending and administrative authority over the courts of this state. In the exercise of that constitutional authority and in order to uphold the public’s confidence in the courts of this state during the pendency of the criminal proceeding against Judge Dugan, we conclude, on our own motion, that it is in the public interest that she be temporarily relieved of her official duties.”
In this Feb. 24, 2025, file photo, Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan speaks during a rally marking the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, in Milwaukee, Wis.
Lee Matz/Milwaukee Independent via AP, FILE
Dugan was charged with two criminal counts of “obstructing and impeding a proceeding before a department or agency of the United States” and “concealing an individual to prevent his discovery and arrest,” according to a criminal complaint unsealed Friday.
The Wisconsin Supreme Court said Dugan is “temporarily prohibited from exercising the powers of a circuit court judge in the State of Wisconsin,” effective Tuesday until further order from the court.
Prior to the order, a Milwaukee County official said this week that starting Monday, a reserve judge will cover Dugan’s cases.
The judge was arrested on Friday over allegedly helping an undocumented immigrant “evade arrest” the week prior, according to FBI Director Kash Patel, who claimed on social media that Dugan “intentionally misdirected federal agents away from the subject to be arrested in her courthouse.”
U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi said in a statement that two FBI agents arrested Dugan “for allegedly helping an illegal alien avoid arrest” by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
A view shows a sign with the name of Wisconsin county judge Hannah Dugan inside Milwaukee County Courthouse, after Dugan was arrested by U.S. officials, charging her with helping a man in her court evade immigration authorities in an escalating dispute between President Donald Trump’s administration and local officials over immigration enforcement, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S., April 25, 2025.
Vincent Alban/Reuters
Duegan appeared in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin on Friday on the two charges but did not enter a plea. She was released on her own recognizance.
Her attorney, former United States Attorney Steven Biskupic, said the judge will “defend herself vigorously and looks forward to being exonerated.”
“Judge Hannah C. Dugan has committed herself to the rule of law and the principles of due process for her entire career as a lawyer and a judge,” Biskupic said in a statement on Friday.
If convicted on the charges, Dugan could face up to six years in prison.
Her case stems from the arrest of an undocumented immigrant — Eduardo Flores-Ruiz — on April 18, county court records show. Flores-Ruiz was set to appear in court that day before Dugan for a pretrial conference in an ongoing case where he has been charged with three misdemeanor counts of battery/domestic abuse.
Upon learning ICE officers were present in court to arrest Flores-Ruiz, Dugan allegedly became “visibly angry” and confronted one of the officers, according to the federal complaint.
Multiple witnesses cited in the complaint later allegedly said Dugan returned to her courtroom after directing members of the arrest team to the office of the court’s chief judge, according to the complaint.
A DEA agent saw Flores-Ruiz and his attorney in the public hallway of the courthouse and he appeared to be making efforts to evade arrest, the complaint stated. After he was encountered by FBI and DEA agents outside the building, Flores-Ruiz “turned around and sprinted down the street” before he was ultimately apprehended, according to the complaint.
