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Daily Mail
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Outrageous defense claim of Wisconsin judge caught 'harboring illegal migrant' in courthouse
The Wisconsin judge accused of helping an illegal migrant evade ICE authorities has claimed she is immune from prosecution. Hannah Dugan, an elected judge on the Milwaukee County Circuit Court, was indicted by a federal grand jury on Tuesday. The indictment accused Dugan of 'knowingly' concealing an undocumented migrant, Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, so he wouldn't be discovered and arrested by officers with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Dugan allegedly helped Flores-Ruiz evade arrest when he appeared in her courtroom on April 18 for a pretrial hearing in a domestic abuse case. She is set to appear in court on Thursday and enter a plea on charges accusing her of obstruction and concealing an individual wanted for arrest. On Wednesday, her lawyers asked for the indictment to be tossed out, arguing that as a judge she is immune from prosecution over official actions and that the case intrudes on state authority. 'The government's prosecution of Judge Dugan is virtually unprecedented and entirely unconstitutional,' her lawyers wrote in a court filing. The Wisconsin Supreme Court suspended Dugan last week, claiming it was in the public interest to relieve her of her duties as she faces the federal charges. The order noted that the court was acting on its own initiative and was not responding to a request from anyone. Liberal justices control the court 4-3. '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. Dugan's legal team said it was disappointed 'that the Court acted in unilateral fashion. We continue to assert Judge Dugan's innocence and look forward to her vindication in court.' Flores-Ruiz was accused of punching someone 30 times in the face after they complained he was playing loud music. He was charged with three counts of misdemeanor battery for allegedly assaulting three people on March 12. Flores-Ruiz is a migrant from Mexico. ICE and the Department of Homeland Security said he was deported in 2013 and never sought legal permission to return. ICE agents in Milwaukee were then alerted to Flores-Ruiz's hearing on April 18, and agents showed up at the courthouse to arrest him. Six ICE agents described as wearing 'generally plain clothes' arrived at the courthouse and presented their identifications to a security guard, according to a criminal complaint. Dugan was then allegedly notified of the agents and 'became visibly angry,' calling their presence 'absurd,' and left the bench. 'Witnesses uniformly reported that Judge Dugan was visibly upset and had a confrontational, angry demeanor,' the criminal complaint stated. Dugan then allegedly asked the officers to leave and informed them they needed a judicial warrant to arrest Flores-Ruiz. The Wisconsin judge was then accused of directing the agents to the chief judge and helped Flores-Ruiz and his attorney leave through a 'jury door.' The affidavit stated Dugan told the migrant and his attorney, 'wait come with me' before they left the courthouse, directing them to a back jury door. The courtroom deputy told investigators that the door is only used for deputies, juries, court staff, and defendants already in custody. They added that defense attorneys and defendants who weren't in custody 'never' used that door. Dugan allegedly adjourned the case without the state attorney's knowledge, according to the criminal complaint. Flores-Ruiz and his attorney allegedly took an elevator and left the courthouse before ICE agents followed them. ICE agents saw him outside the courthouse, and he ran away when they approached him. Flores-Ruiz was apprehended by ICE agents, and Dugan was arrested and charged with obstructing a proceeding of a federal agency and concealing an individual to prevent arrest.
Miami Herald
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Miami Herald
Donald Trump Impeachment Moves Forward in Congress
Democratic Representative Shri Thanedar on Tuesday moved to force a House vote on his articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump. Thanedar took to the House floor on Tuesday afternoon to notice his seven articles of impeachment as privileged. That means House Republican leaders have two legislative days to bring up the resolution. They are most likely to introduce a motion to table the resolution, which would effectively kill it. Thanedar introduced the articles of impeachment, which accuse Trump of offenses including obstruction of justice, bribery and corruption, and tyrannical overreach, last month. "It's time for us to take action," he said on X, formerly Twitter, on Tuesday. "I call on my colleagues from both sides of the aisle to support my Articles of Impeachment, stand up for this country, defend their oath, and protect the American people. It's never the wrong time to stand up for our Constitution." This is a breaking news story. Related Articles Donald Trump's Approval Rating Suffers Double DentKing Charles' Donald Trump Invite Condemned by Mark CarneyDonald Trump Compares Qatar Gift to Statue of LibertyMilwaukee Judge Hannah Dugan Indicted by Federal Grand Jury Over ICE Case 2025 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.
The Independent
13-05-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Federal grand jury indicts Wisconsin judge in immigration case, allowing charges to continue
A federal grand jury on Tuesday indicted a Wisconsin judge accused of helping a man evade immigration authorities, allowing the case against her to continue. The arrest of Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan escalated a clash between President Donald Trump's administration and local authorities over the Republican's sweeping immigration crackdown. Democrats have accused the Trump administration of trying to make a national example of Dugan to chill judicial opposition to the crackdown. Prosecutors charged Dugan in April via complaint with concealing an individual to prevent arrest and obstruction. In the federal criminal justice system, prosecutors can initiate charges against a defendant directly by filing a complaint or present evidence to a grand jury and let that body decide whether to issue charges. A grand jury still reviews charges brought by complaint to determine whether enough probable cause exists to continue the case as a check on prosecutors' power. If the grand jury determines there's probable cause, it issues a written statement of the charges known as an indictment. That's what happened in Dugan's case. Her case is similar to one brought during the first Trump administration against a Massachusetts judge, who was accused of helping a man sneak out a courthouse back door to evade a waiting immigration enforcement agent. That case was eventually dismissed. Prosecutors say Dugan escorted Eduardo Flores-Ruiz and his lawyer out of her courtroom through a back jury door on April 18 after learning that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents were in the courthouse seeking his arrest. According to court documents, Flores-Ruiz illegally reentered the U.S. after being deported in 2013. Online state court records show he was charged with three counts of misdemeanor domestic abuse in Milwaukee County in March. He was in Dugan's courtroom that morning of April 18 for a hearing. Court documents suggest Dugan was alerted to the agents' presence by her clerk, who was informed by an attorney that the agents appeared to be in the hallway. An affidavit says Dugan was visibly angry over the agents' arrival and called the situation 'absurd' before leaving the bench and retreating to her chambers. She and another judge later approached members of the arrest team in the courthouse with what witnesses described as a 'confrontational, angry demeanor.' After a back-and-forth with the agents over the warrant for Flores-Ruiz, Dugan demanded they speak with the chief judge and led them away from the courtroom, according to the affidavit. She then returned to the courtroom and was heard saying words to the effect of 'wait, come with me' and ushered Flores-Ruiz and his attorney out through a back jury door typically used only by deputies, jurors, court staff and in-custody defendants, according to the affidavit. Flores-Ruiz was free on a signature bond in the abuse case at the time, according to online state court records. Federal agents ultimately captured him outside the courthouse after a foot chase. The state Supreme Court suspended Dugan from the bench in late April, saying the move was necessary to preserve public confidence in the judiciary. A reserve judge is filling in for her.
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Yahoo
‘4 counts': Jimcy McGirt indicted for failure to register
SEMINOLE, Okla. (KFOR) – This week a Federal Grand Jury handed down a 4-count indictmentagainst Jimcy McGirt in the Eastern Oklahoma. McGirt, known for reshaping how criminal cases are handled in a landmark Supreme Court Case (landmark McGirt v. Oklahoma), now faces legal trouble regarding failing to register as a sex offender after he was released from prison last year. McGirt returns to court facing new charges including revocation of release According to court records, McGirt had been serving time after pleading guilty to aggravated sexual assault in Indian country and was re-arrested at his son's home near Seminole accused of violating the following: Failing to register as a sex offender in Seminole Violating the terms of his probation by possessing a cell phone with internet access Skipping polygraph examinations Missing sex offender group meetings McGirt's trial is expected to begin in June. *This story is developing Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
