Milwaukee County Judge Dugan trial: Live updates Thursday, Dec. 11

MILWAUKEE - A jury was seated in the trial of Milwaukee County Judge Hannah Dugan on Thursday, Dec. 11. Federal prosecutors accuse her of helping an undocumented man evade capture at the courthouse earlier this year.

Live updates from Thursday, Dec. 11

Judge Hannah Dugan trial jury seated

3:16 p.m.:

Adelman seated 14 people to the jury and excused the rest of the potential jurors from the courtroom. Once the jury was sworn in, they, too, were released.

Of the 14 jurors, nine are men and five are women. Two of the 14 are alternates.

Court was dismissed at around 3:25 p.m. Thursday. It will resume with opening statements at 9 a.m. on Monday morning, Dec. 15.

Judge goes through preliminary instructions

2:59 p.m.:

All parties returned to the courtroom, and Adelman informed potential jurors that attorneys have paperwork to do and that all who are left should assume they are on the jury.

The federal judge read preliminary instructions to potential jurors, after which he said he would read off the people who would be seated on the jury. He again talked to potential jurors about what the trial would entail.

Adelman updates potential jurors on process

2:26 p.m.:

Adelman returned to the courtroom, with Dugan and the attorneys for both sides, to inform potential jurors that individual questioning was "basically almost done."

Once that portion of the day is completed, the federal judge said they would discuss what is left to do. Many people would be excused.

Attorneys asked for a private break to strike potential jurors from the pool. All parties, including Adelman, then returned to his chambers. Audio was not available to the public.

Judge Hannah Dugan federal trial, Dec. 11, 2025 (Sketch by Adela Tesnow)

Audio blocked for one potential juror's questioning

2:02 p.m.:

Audio from the individual questioning of the first few potential jurors' during the afternoon session was made available to the public, though Adelman blocked the audio from the public for one of those people.

The judge then resumed audio availability for the questioning of subsequent individuals. It was not immediately clear why the single potential juror's audio was not made available to the public.

Potential juror questioning resumes

1:44 p.m.:

Dugan, attorneys and the pool of potential jurors returned to the courtroom and were seated at approximately 1:44 p.m.

Adelman apologized for the delay in returning from the lunch break, but informed the court he believes they can finish jury selection "fairly quickly."

Adelman, Dugan and the attorneys for both sides then returned to the federal judge's chambers to resume additional questioning of individual potential jurors.

Individual questioning, again, took place out of public view. However, unlike earlier in the day, the public was allowed to listen to audio from the chambers. Potential juror's identities were not revealed.

Potential jurors answer questions

12:20 p.m.:

Adelman, Dugan and attorneys for both sides returned to the courtroom. The federal judge said they made "a lot of progress" and they expect to finish jury selection in the afternoon.

Adelman thanked the potential jurors for their patience and then broke for lunch. Court is expected to resume at 1:15 p.m.

12:16 p.m.:

From his chambers, Adelman announced both parties had gone through the third page of potential jurors and struck two more.

10:58 a.m.:

Adelman announced both parties went through the first page of potential jurors. The parties mutually agreed to strike one person from the group before proceeding to page two.

10:37 a.m.:

Adelman, from his chambers, announced that voir dire questioning of individual potential jurors will take place in his chambers – outside of public view and with no audio available to the public. The questions that will be asked are considered personal, the judge said.

10:19 a.m.:

Both parties went to Adelman's chambers.

10:13 a.m.:

Dugan and attorneys for both sides returned to the courtroom after a break in questioning of potential jurors. Adelman reiterated there is a possibility that the trial could last beyond four or five days for any number of reasons, including the presentation of evidence or jury deliberations.

That led to a wave of potential jurors explaining potential conflicts that would interfere with their ability to serve on a jury should the trial continue beyond Friday, Dec. 19.

9:45 a.m. (approx.):

Adelman asked the pool a variety of questions – such as whether they know any of the possible witnesses and if there is any reason they could not be impartial – to determine whether they'd be fit to serve on the jury over the course of the trial. He expects the trial to last four or five days.

Potential jurors explained potential conflicts that would interfere with their ability to serve on the jury.

Judge Hannah Dugan federal trial, Dec. 11, 2025 (Sketch by Adela Tesnow)

Pool of potential jurors brought into courtroom

9:37 a.m.:

Adelman read the grand jury's indictment to the pool of potential jurors. He notified potential jurors that Dugan had pleaded not guilty, explained what the jury selection process and trial would entail.

9:31 a.m.:

A group, primarily men, filed into the room and stood behind and adjacent to the legal teams to take an oath before they were seated at 9:35 a.m. The pool of potential jurors could include as many as 80 people.

Federal judge calls court into session

9:19 a.m.:

Adelman called court into session. Attorneys Richard Frohling, Kelly Watza and Keith Alexander, representing the government, as well as an FBI Special Agent, are seated closest to the bench. Dugan and her defense attorneys, Steve Biskupic, Nicole Masnica and Jason Luczak, are seated behind them.

Hannah Dugan arrives at courthouse

8:30 a.m. (approx.):

Dugan arrived at the Federal Courthouse.

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Judge Hannah Dugan arrives at Federal court in Milwaukee on Dec. 11, 2025

Dugan charged

The backstory:

A federal grand jury indicted Dugan, and she pleaded not guilty, in May.

The grand jury's two-count indictment accused Dugan of helping an undocumented man, Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, evade federal agents who were at the Milwaukee County Courthouse to arrest him on April 18. It also states Dugan obstructed those agents in the process.

Flores-Ruiz was in Dugan's courtroom for a misdemeanor battery case. Prosecutors said Dugan told federal agents to go to the chief judge's office down the hall, and she is then accused of telling Flores-Ruiz and his attorney to leave her courtroom through a back door as federal agents waited outside the courtroom to arrest him.

Agents arrested Flores-Ruiz outside the courthouse after a brief foot chase that day. Dugan was arrested by federal agents at the Milwaukee County Courthouse on April 25.

The Wisconsin Supreme Court later suspended Dugan indefinitely after she was arrested and charged. Flores-Ruiz later pleaded guilty to illegally reentering the U.S. and, in November, was deported.

Federal Judge Lynn Adelman is overseeing the Dugan trial.

Complete coverage

Dig deeper:

FOX6 News will stream special coverage of the Dugan trial each day on FOX LOCAL. The app is free to download on your phone, tablet or smart TV.

Wisconsin Live Desk speaks with sketch artist in Judge Dugan trial

FOX6's Christina Van Zelst spoke with Adela Tesnow, the sketch artist hired to visualize the Judge Hannah Dugan trial. It was part of an extended interview on Wisconsin Live Desk.

The Source: FOX6 News reviewed court filings and video associated with the case, is at the federal courthouse for the trial and referenced prior coverage of the case.

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