Milwaukee Judge Hannah Dugan to enter plea in federal court
The Wisconsin judge accused of helping an illegal immigrant evade arrest by ICE in her courtroom will enter a plea Thursday in federal court.
Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan was indicted by a grand jury Tuesday on federal charges of concealing a person from arrest and obstruction of justice following the alleged incident involving Eduardo Flores-Ruiz last month.
The indictment accused Dugan of "falsely" telling federal officials in April that they needed a warrant to come into her courtroom during a scheduled appearance by Flores-Ruiz, an undocumented Mexican national facing three misdemeanor battery charges.
Dugan told the immigration officers to proceed to the chief judge's office to obtain a warrant, according to a criminal complaint, and she then escorted Flores-Ruiz through a side door to evade federal agents. Flores-Ruiz was then "arrested after a foot chase," the complaint added.
If found guilty of both charges, Dugan could face up to six years in prison and up to $350,000 in fines.
She is expected to enter a plea of not guilty, as indicated by a statement from her legal team on Tuesday.
"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," her lawyers said, adding that their client further "asserts her innocence and looks forward to being vindicated in court."
On Wednesday, Dugan's legal team also filed a motion to dismiss the federal case against her.
"The problems with this prosecution are legion, but most immediately, the government cannot prosecute Judge Dugan because she is entitled to judicial immunity for her official acts. Immunity is not a defense to the prosecution to be determined later by a jury or court; it is an absolute bar to the prosecution at the outset," the motion said.
"Judge Dugan reserves her right to seek other relief, including by other motions before and at trial. But the immunity and federalism issues must be resolved swiftly because the government has no basis in law to prosecute her. The prosecution against her is barred. The Court should dismiss the indictment," it added.
A criminal complaint, citing witnesses, said Dugan "was visibly upset and had a confrontational, angry demeanor" during the incident on April 18.
A week later, the FBI arrested Dugan at the courthouse before she was released from custody.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
31 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Trump admin cracks down on antisemitism as DOJ official exposes 'violent rhetoric' of radical protesters
The Trump administration has taken a more aggressive approach than its predecessor toward addressing the nationwide surge in antisemitic incidents, launching investigations, punishing elite universities, and intensifying its immigration enforcement practices. President Donald Trump, through his Department of Justice (Doj) and other agencies, is using law-and-order tactics that his deputies say are necessary, but that critics say could constitute overreach. Harmeet Dhillon, the DOJ's assistant attorney general for the Civil Rights Division, told Fox News Digital she has not seen any "close cases" when it comes to weighing antisemitic behavior against First Amendment rights of those who oppose Israel or Judaism. Biden Education Dept Put Priority On Pronouns, Left Backlog Of Nearly 200 Antisemitism Complaints: Official "Criticizing the government of Israel is not what I'm typically seeing here," Dhillon said. "I'm seeing an intifada revolution. I'm seeing blocking Jewish students from crossing campuses and destroying property on campus, which is a crime. … Quiet, polite conversation and disagreement with Israeli policy is not really what's happening here. It's literally people saying Israel shouldn't exist — and bringing the revolution to the United States." Dhillon added that "that type of violent rhetoric has led to violent acts in our country." Read On The Fox News App After Hamas's deadly terrorist attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, the FBI's hate crime statistics showed a sharp spike in anti-Jewish incidents in the U.S. The data runs through December 2023. Anti-Defamation League (ADL) data from 2024 and high-profile incidents this year suggest the trend is continuing. An Egyptian national in the U.S. illegally in Boulder, Colorado, is facing state and federal charges for allegedly injuring 15 people, including elderly victims and a dog last weekend with Molotov cocktails during a peaceful pro-Israel demonstration in support of hostages being held by Hamas terrorists in Gaza. Suspect Mohamed Sabry Soliman, 45, stated to authorities "he wanted to kill all Zionist people and wished they were all dead," according to an FBI affidavit. During the attack he allegedly yelled "free Palestine," the agent said. In May, Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim, who worked at the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C., were gunned down outside the Capitol Jewish Museum in D.C. Suspect Elias Rodriguez of Illinois shouted "free Palestine" as he was detained, and Interim U.S. Attorney for D.C. Jeanine Pirro said her office is investigating the case as a hate crime and act of terrorism. Suspect Charged With Murdering Israeli Embassy Staff Could Face Death Penalty In another incident, a man allegedly set fire to Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro's residence on the first night of Passover. Emergency call logs released by local authorities revealed that the suspect, Cody Balmer, invoked Palestine after the arson and blamed Shapiro, who is Jewish, for "having my friends killed." Tarek Bazrouk, who identified himself as a "Jew hater" and said Jewish people were "worthless," allegedly carried out a series of assaults on Jewish New Yorkers in 2024 and 2025, according to an indictment brought against him in May. Bazrouk wore a green headband that mimicked Hamas garb and a keffiyeh during the attacks, and he celebrated Hamas and Hizballah on his social media, according to federal authorities. Trump warned in an executive order at the start of his presidency that foreign nationals participating in "pro-jihadist protests" would be deported, and he specifically highlighted college campuses as being "infested with radicalism." Unlike the Biden administration, the Trump administration has since gone to war with elite universities, some of which have been roiled by disruptive pro-Palestinian protests that involve occupying academic buildings and installing encampments. Leo Terrell Says Trump Admin Willing To Take Harvard Antisemitism Fight All The Way To Supreme Court Harvard and Columbia, in particular, are now engaged in litigation after Trump moved to freeze billions of dollars in federal funding for the universities and ban Harvard's foreign students. The embattled schools have been successful in winning temporary pauses to Trump's sanctions through the courts, but litigation is pending and legal experts have said they face an uphill battle. The Trump administration has zeroed in on non-citizen students and activists who it has accused of supporting Palestinian causes in ways it deems hostile to U.S. interests. Amid Trump's pursuit of visa and green card holders, Mahmoud Khalil's case has become a flashpoint. Khalil was arrested in March and detained after the administration accused him of violating immigration laws by engaging in anti-Israel activism. This week, Khalil said in court papers the administration's claims against him were "grotesque" and that his activism involved "protesting this Israeli government's indiscriminate killing of thousands of innocent Palestinians." Civil rights groups have warned that the government's hardliner posture risks violating free speech and protest rights. A coalition of 60 groups issued a joint statement this week on antisemitic hate crimes in which it warned the Trump administration not to over-correct because it would "make us all less safe." "As we condemn these heinous [antisemitic] acts and those who perpetrate hate and violence, we also recommit to ensuring that these events — and the legitimate fear in the Jewish community — are not exploited to justify inhumane immigration policies or to target Arab Americans and those who peacefully and nonviolently exercise their First Amendment rights in support of Palestinian human rights," the groups said. Dhillon told Fox News Digital: "It's not my responsibility to balance free speech issues on campus. It's my responsibility to enforce the federal civil rights laws. And my opinion, there's really no conflict." When he took office, Trump vowed in a string of executive orders to direct Attorney General Pam Bondi to "aggressively prosecute terroristic threats, arson, vandalism and violence against American Jews." Trump appointees at the DOJ then moved quickly to convene an antisemitism task force. Dhillon said there is also frequent communication between the White House, the DOJ, and Jewish leaders about addressing antisemitism. Jewish Students Welcome Trump Admin's Crackdown On Antisemitism, Hamas Sympathizers On Campuses "We have heard from the Jewish community, and I've probably met with — I think there's at least two dozen rabbis who have my number on speed dial now. I literally sent three emails to rabbis in the last hour," she said. She said her division has opened several investigations involving land use for religious purposes under a law known as the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA), including five related to Judaism. The administration is also notifying Jewish communities of grants available for added security at synagogues, and she said campuses are a "significant focus" for her. After reports surfaced that Dhillon's shakeup in the Civil Rights Division led to a mass exodus of more than 100 attorneys leaving the division, she told the media she was unfazed by the departures and that her focus remains on launching the division's work toward combating antisemitism. Testing the limits of his subordinates and the courts, another top DOJ official, Emil Bove, launched an internal investigation into Columbia student protesters early this year. The probe caused concern among line attorneys, who felt it was flimsy and was also met with multiple reprimands from a magistrate judge, according to the New York Times. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement in May that the New York Times' story was false and fed to the newspaper "by a group of people who allowed antisemitism and support of Hamas terrorists to fester for years." Blanche confirmed the veracity of the investigation and said it involved, in part, a probe into a Hamas-linked image on Columbia University Apartheid Divest's social article source: Trump admin cracks down on antisemitism as DOJ official exposes 'violent rhetoric' of radical protesters
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Vance says he hopes Musk returns to the fold after public feud with Trump
(Bloomberg) — Vice President JD Vance said Elon Musk is making a 'huge mistake' in going after Donald Trump and expressed hopes the billionaire will come back into the fold following the public feud that unfolded. Next Stop: Rancho Cucamonga! Where Public Transit Systems Are Bouncing Back Around the World ICE Moves to DNA-Test Families Targeted for Deportation with New Contract US Housing Agency Vulnerable to Fraud After DOGE Cuts, Documents Warn Trump Said He Fired the National Portrait Gallery Director. She's Still There. 'I'm always going to be loyal to the president and I hope that eventually Elon kind of comes back into the fold,' Vance said in an interview on the podcast 'This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von' released on Saturday. 'Maybe that's not possible now because he's gone so nuclear, but I hope it is.' Musk helped elect Trump and Vance in 2024 and assumed a role heading the Department of Government Efficiency, a cost-cutting effort that has so far fallen well short of the Tesla Inc. chief's initial promises. Trump and Musk's political alliance imploded on Thursday after Musk criticized the tax and spending policy bill backed by the president. The two men traded jabs that grew personal on social media, stunning watchers in Washington and on Wall Street. While Vance posted on X in support of Trump, saying that the president he was 'proud to stand beside him' and praising him as having 'done more than anyone in my lifetime to earn the trust of the movement he leads,' the interview with Von marked his first direct comments on Musk since the spat erupted. The president had encouraged Vance to speak diplomatically about Musk before his appearance on the podcast, according to a person familiar with the situation who shared details on condition of anonymity. 'The president doesn't think that he needs to be in a blood feud with Elon Musk, and I actually think if Elon chilled out a little bit, everything would be fine,' Vance said. —With assistance from Sam Kim. Cavs Owner Dan Gilbert Wants to Donate His Billions—and Walk Again The SEC Pinned Its Hack on a Few Hapless Day Traders. The Full Story Is Far More Troubling Is Elon Musk's Political Capital Spent? Trump Considers Deporting Migrants to Rwanda After the UK Decides Not To What Does Musk-Trump Split Mean for a 'Big, Beautiful Bill'? ©2025 Bloomberg L.P. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Vance Says He Hopes Musk Returns to Fold After Public Feud With Trump
(Bloomberg) -- Vice President JD Vance said Elon Musk is making a 'huge mistake' in going after Donald Trump and expressed hopes the billionaire will come back into the fold following the public feud that unfolded. Next Stop: Rancho Cucamonga! Where Public Transit Systems Are Bouncing Back Around the World ICE Moves to DNA-Test Families Targeted for Deportation with New Contract US Housing Agency Vulnerable to Fraud After DOGE Cuts, Documents Warn Trump Said He Fired the National Portrait Gallery Director. She's Still There. 'I'm always going to be loyal to the president and I hope that eventually Elon kind of comes back into the fold,' Vance said in an interview on the podcast 'This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von' released on Saturday. 'Maybe that's not possible now because he's gone so nuclear, but I hope it is.' Musk helped elect Trump and Vance in 2024 and assumed a role heading the Department of Government Efficiency, a cost-cutting effort that has so far fallen well short of the Tesla Inc. chief's initial promises. Trump and Musk's political alliance imploded on Thursday after Musk criticized the tax and spending policy bill backed by the president. The two men traded jabs that grew personal on social media, stunning watchers in Washington and on Wall Street. While Vance posted on X in support of Trump, saying that the president he was 'proud to stand beside him' and praising him as having 'done more than anyone in my lifetime to earn the trust of the movement he leads,' the interview with Von marked his first direct comments on Musk since the spat erupted. The president had encouraged Vance to speak diplomatically about Musk before his appearance on the podcast, according to a person familiar with the situation who shared details on condition of anonymity. 'The president doesn't think that he needs to be in a blood feud with Elon Musk, and I actually think if Elon chilled out a little bit, everything would be fine,' Vance said. --With assistance from Sam Kim. Cavs Owner Dan Gilbert Wants to Donate His Billions—and Walk Again The SEC Pinned Its Hack on a Few Hapless Day Traders. The Full Story Is Far More Troubling Is Elon Musk's Political Capital Spent? Trump Considers Deporting Migrants to Rwanda After the UK Decides Not To What Does Musk-Trump Split Mean for a 'Big, Beautiful Bill'? ©2025 Bloomberg L.P.
