Milwaukee County Judge Dugan pleads not guilty in federal court
Judge Dugan pleads not guilty in federal court
Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan pleaded not guilty Thursday to charges that she helped a man who is in the country illegally evade U.S. immigration authorities looking to arrest him in her courtroom.
MILWAUKEE - This week, a federal grand jury indicted Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan, accusing her of helping an undocumented man evade arrest and obstructing federal agents from making that arrest.
On Thursday, May 15, 2025, she appeared in court, as a trial date is now set for this summer.
Grand jury indictment
The backstory:
Judge Hannah Dugan appeared before Magistrate Judge Stephen Dries on Thursday morning, flanked by her attorneys.
SIGN UP TODAY: Get daily headlines, breaking news emails from FOX6 News
Former US Attorney Steve Biskupic entered not-guilty pleas on behalf of his client.
Judge Hannah Dugan. Sketch courtesy L.D. Chukman.
On Tuesday, May 13, a grand jury returned a two-count indictment stating that Dugan helped an undocumented man evade arrest by federal agents, who showed up to Dugan's court to arrest the man, and that Dugan obstructed agents in the process.
That man is 29-year-old Eduardo Flores-Ruiz.
Eduardo Flores Ruiz
He was in Dugan's court for a misdemeanor battery case.
Prosecutors say Dugan told agents to go to the chief judge's office down the hall, and is then accused of telling Flores-Ruiz and his attorney - Mercedes de la Rosa -- to leave her courtroom out a back door, as federal agents waited outside the courtroom to arrest him.
De la rosa, Dugan's clerk, and fellow Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Kristela Cervera appeared at the federal courthouse Tuesday, as the grand jury met in the case.
Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan leaves federal court
As a protest grew outside the federal courthouse, Dugan's defense team features well-known names in legal circles.
In court, acting US Attorney Richard Frohling greeted his former boss and Dugan's attorney, Steven Biskupic.
Alongside Dugan was Jason Luczak and Nicole Masnica of the experienced firm of Gimbel, Reilly, Guerin and Brown.
Judge Hannah Dugan, second from left. Sketch courtesy L.D. Chukman.
The firm's website says Masnica and Luczak both lead the firm's criminal and white-collar defense teams.
FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX LOCAL Mobile app for iOS or Android
Motion to dismiss
What they're saying:
As the legal battle and battle of public opinion in the case is just beginning, a day after her indictment, her attorneys filed a motion to dismiss the case, claiming she has judicial immunity.
Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan leaves federal court
The motion to dismiss filing read, in part:
"Dugan is a Milwaukee County Circuit Court judge. She was arrested and indicted for actions allegedly taken in and in the immediate vicinity of her courtroom, involving a person appearing before her as a party. The government’s prosecution of Judge Dugan is virtually unprecedented and entirely unconstitutional—it violates the Tenth Amendment and fundamental principles of federalism and comity reflected in that amendment and in the very structure of the United States Constitution.
"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."
Milwaukee County Judge Dugan moves to dismiss federal indictment
Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan on Wednesday filed a motion to dismiss the federal indictment that had been filed against.
They're also calling the prosecution against her quote "unprecedented and unconstitutional," arguing it violates the 10th amendment.
That, and any other motions and arguments, will be fleshed out over the next several weeks.
Dugan's trial date is set for July 21, 2025.
The Source: The information in this post was provided in part by the U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Wisconsin, and the Associated Press.