The Wisconsin Supreme Court has temporarily suspended Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan after she was arrested on federal charges of obstructing justice by helping an illegal immigrant flee from ICE. The court issued a brief order stating that the suspension is necessary to maintain public trust in the legal system. This decision prohibits Dugan from performing her duties while her case is ongoing.
Mexican national Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, who had been deported in 2013, was in court on multiple charges of battery.
“It is ordered … that Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah C. Dugan is temporarily prohibited from exercising the powers of a circuit court judge in the state of Wisconsin, effective the date of this order and until further order of the court,” the justices wrote, according to The Associated Press.
Federal authorities arrested Dugan at the Milwaukee courthouse earlier in the month. She faces two serious charges: one for hiding a person to prevent arrest and another for obstructing a legal process, reported The New York Post.
Dugan, a veteran of the court for nearly a decade, was alerted to the federal agents’ presence and confronted them in a hallway, becoming “visibly upset” with an “angry demeanor,” according to the criminal complaint obtained by The Post.
She initially demanded they leave the courthouse, but changed her mind and directed them to Chief Judge Carl Ashley’s office after she was shown the arrest warrant.
The frustrated judge returned to the courtroom and escorted Flores-Ruiz and his attorney out of the room through the “jury door” to a non-public area of the courthouse, where the chief judge had advised the feds that they could not arrest Flores-Ruiz, the charging document alleged.
“These events were also unusual for two reasons,” the complaint states. “First, the courtroom deputy had previously heard Judge Dugan direct people not to sit in the jury box because it was exclusively for the jury’s use. Second, according to the courtroom deputy, only deputies, juries, court staff, and in-custody defendants being escorted by deputies used the back jury door. Defense attorneys and defendants who were not in custody never used the jury door.”
The court clarified that this suspension wasn’t requested by law enforcement or political figures; it was a decision made internally by the justices. Currently, the court has a 4-3 liberal majority. A reserve judge will manage Dugan’s caseload indefinitely.
Judge Dugan’s defense team, which includes high-profile attorneys like Steve Biskupic, Paul Clement, and Craig Mastantuono, criticized the court’s move to suspend her without outside pressure. They maintain her innocence and are confident she will be cleared of all charges.
Dugan is set to be formally charged in court on May 15. Flores-Ruiz was eventually captured by the agents after he was seen fleeing on foot.
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