The FBI arrested a judge in an immigration dispute. California officials are livid — and watching closely
The FBI's arrest of a Wisconsin judge on Friday represents the exact scenario California officials have tried to prevent at courthouses around the state.
The criminal complaint against Judge Hannah Dugan accuses her of allowing a criminal defendant facing domestic abuse charges to exit through a jury door in order to avoid encountering federal immigration officers who were there to take him into custody. Dugan has not publicly commented on the arrest.
Dugan's arrest is the latest development in the Trump administration's escalating war on judges and the rule of law.
In an appearance on Fox News Friday, Attorney General Pam Bondi called judges who refuse to assist immigration agents 'deranged' and told them 'we will come after you and we will prosecute you.'
California officials on Friday condemned the arrest. State and local laws prevent law enforcement officials from participating in federal immigration enforcement. Another state law shields people from arrest while attending proceedings in a courthouse.
'Donald Trump and JD Vance are arresting judges now. Deleting the tweet won't undo the constitutional crisis you have just thrust us into,' Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Santa Clara, wrote on X Friday, referring to a since-deleted X post written by FBI Director Kash Patel announcing Dugan's arrest.
State Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, wrote on BlueSky that President Donald Trump '*must* be removed from office immediately,' citing Dugan's arrest, as well as an executive order Trump issued Thursday targeting a prominent Democratic fundraising platform.
California Chief Justice Patricia Guerrero, the first Latina to serve on the court, has been outspoken about the importance of providing safe, unfettered access to state courthouses.
'We can all perform our independent obligations consistent with our constitutional mandates in support of the rule of law,' Guerrero told the Legislature in March during her annual State of the Judiciary address. 'The federal government can focus on federal immigration enforcement within the confines of the constitution; local officials can focus on local public safety; and our courts can focus on providing access to justice to every single person who comes before us.'
California Attorney General Rob Bonta's office issued a 34-page document providing guidance to courthouses on how to limit immigration enforcement, which can result 'in a chilling effect on immigrant residents who need access to California's courts.'
The document recommends several ways court officials can thwart immigration enforcement, including by invoking a state law that limits that enforcement in places of public employment, using pseudonyms for people participating in cases and conducting some court functions remotely.
Policies like California's that limit state and local authorities' ability to assist with immigration enforcement have been a major target for Trump during both of his terms in office.
On Thursday, U.S. District Judge William Orrick blocked the Trump administration from withholding billions of dollars in funding to San Francisco and other local governments with sanctuary policies. Orrick blocked a similar policy during Trump's first presidency in 2017.
In the current case, numerous Bay Area law enforcement officials detail in sworn declarations how sanctuary policies keep their communities safe and foster collaboration between immigrant communities and police.
'The District Attorney's Office has experienced instances in which its criminal prosecution falls apart from lack of witness cooperation, either because others who witnessed the crime are hesitant to come forward or because initial witnesses are afraid to come to court,' Santa Clara District Attorney Jeff Rosen told the court. 'Fear of deportation by victims, witnesses, and families and friends of undocumented victims and witnesses poisons our ability to detect and prosecute crime, thereby making the entire community less safe.'
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