Former Wisconsin Judge Hannah Dugan was sentenced on Wednesday to pay a $5,000 fine after being convicted of obstructing federal immigration agents attempting to arrest an illegal immigrant at a Milwaukee courthouse, avoiding prison despite prosecutors seeking more than a year behind bars.
U.S. District Judge Lynn Adelman declined to impose the 15- to 21-month prison sentence requested by federal prosecutors, instead ordering Dugan to pay a fine following her felony conviction.
During sentencing, Adelman described Dugan as “an otherwise good person” who made a poor decision while reacting to the nation’s immigration policies.
“I think this is a situation where an otherwise good person, upset by immigration policies in this country, made a bad decision in the moment,” Adelman said.
Dugan, 66, was convicted of felony obstruction for her actions on April 18, 2025, when federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrived at the Milwaukee County Courthouse to arrest Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, a 31-year-old Mexican national accused of illegally reentering the U.S.
Flores-Ruiz had been scheduled to appear before Dugan in connection with a state domestic violence case when ICE agents arrived to take him into custody.
According to federal prosecutors, Dugan confronted the agents inside the courthouse, questioned the validity of their administrative warrant and directed them toward the chief judge’s office. Prosecutors alleged she then instructed Flores-Ruiz and his attorney to leave through a back exit, allowing him to temporarily evade federal agents.
Authorities later located Flores-Ruiz outside the courthouse and arrested him after a brief foot chase. He has since been deported from the United States.
Dugan was acquitted on a separate misdemeanor charge alleging she concealed an individual to prevent an arrest, but the felony obstruction conviction carried a maximum possible sentence of five years in prison.
Addressing the court before sentencing, Dugan defended her actions and said they were motivated by concern for those appearing at the courthouse rather than any personal agenda.
“My acts that day were consistent with community concerns at the courthouse,” Dugan told the court. “My judicial acts were not done with any malicious intent or to advance any personal interests.”
She added that the prosecution ultimately forced her to retire from the bench and resign earlier this year.
“I have been cast as a scofflaw and as a hero. I am neither,” Dugan said. “I am a public servant who was just trying to do my job.”
Dugan also urged the court not to let the events of April 18 define her career.
“Your honor, I will not let those minutes on April 18, 2025, define my life’s work,” she said.
Defense attorneys argued throughout the case that Dugan’s actions were protected by judicial authority, though the court rejected those claims. Before sentencing, defense attorney Steve Biskupic argued that prison was unnecessary, saying the case would not encourage widespread judicial defiance of federal immigration enforcement, per the Conservative Brief.
Several supporters also testified on Dugan’s behalf, including Marquette University law professor Janine Geske and Jesuit priest Gregory J. O’Meara, who described her as a dedicated public servant who had already suffered significant personal and professional consequences.
The case drew national attention and became a flashpoint in the broader debate over immigration enforcement and the role of local officials in cooperating with federal authorities. Republican lawmakers had previously called for Dugan’s impeachment following the incident.
Following sentencing, Dugan said she hopes to return to public service after the conclusion of the case. The ruling brings one of the country’s highest-profile legal battles involving a sitting judge and federal immigration enforcement to a close.
