Wisconsin Supreme Court suspends Judge Hannah Dugan after federal charges
MILWAUKEE — The Wisconsin Supreme Court has suspended a judge charged with two federal counts on allegations of trying to help an undocumented immigrant avoid arrest after he appeared in her courtroom.
Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan, 65, was charged April 25 with two federal counts of obstructing a U.S. agency and concealing an individual to prevent an arrest. She is accused of trying to help Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, an undocumented Mexican immigrant, avoid arrest by federal immigration officials after he appeared in her courtroom at the Milwaukee County Courthouse for a pretrial conference on April 18.
Under the Supreme Court's order, Dugan is not allowed to exercise her responsibilities as a Milwaukee County judge beginning April 29 "until further order of the court."
"In the exercise of that constitutional authority and in order to uphold the public confidence in the court of this state during the pendency of the criminal proceeding against Judge Dugan, we conclude on our own motion that it is the public interest that she be temporarily be relieved of her official duty," said the two-paragraph order April 29 from the state Supreme Court.
Attorneys for Dugan could not be reached for comment.
The Supreme Court order comes after Chief Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Carl Ashley said hearings on Dugan's calendar would be handled by a reserve judge.
The two charges — one a felony and the other a misdemeanor — carry a maximum penalty of six years in prison and a $350,000 fine, but sentences in cases involving nonviolent offenses typically are much shorter.
According to the criminal complaint, Dugan is accused of escorting Eduardo Flores-Ruiz and his public defender out of her courtroom through a side door in her courtroom after learning that immigration authorities were in the hallway seeking his arrest. Federal agents eventually arrested Flores-Ruiz after a short foot chase outside the courthouse.
Dugan was arrested by the FBI at the courthouse, according to witnesses and federal officials. She made a brief appearance in federal court in Milwaukee later on April 25 before being released from custody.
(This story was updated to add new information.)
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