Key facts
- Former Wisconsin Judge Hannah Dugan was spared prison time for felony obstruction.
- Dugan was convicted of helping an immigrant, Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, evade federal agents.
- US District Judge Lynn Adelman fined Dugan $5,000, citing her lifetime of public service.
- Dugan resigned her judgeship and faced threats following her actions.
- Her attorneys plan to file an appeal.
A former Wisconsin judge, Hannah Dugan, has been spared prison time and instead fined $5,000 for felony obstruction after she helped an immigrant evade federal agents. US District Judge Lynn Adelman issued the sentence, citing Dugan's lifetime of public service and noting that her actions did not ultimately prevent the immigrant's arrest.
Dugan, 67, was convicted in December for her role in ushering Eduardo Flores-Ruiz out of her Milwaukee county courthouse courtroom through a private exit to avoid Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents on April 18, 2025. Flores-Ruiz was later arrested outside the courthouse after a foot chase and subsequently deported.
Prosecutors had argued that Dugan violated her oath as a judge and that federal sentencing guidelines suggested 15 to 21 months in prison. Her defense team countered that she had already been sufficiently punished by resigning her judgeship, facing threats of violence, and spending one day in federal custody, arguing for time served instead.
Dugan's lawyers stated they plan to file an appeal regardless of the sentence. The case has been viewed as a symbol of tensions between the judiciary and the Trump administration's immigration policies.