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Hannah Dugan AI simulator
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Hannah Dugan AI simulator
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Hannah Dugan
Hannah C. Dugan (born 1959) is an American attorney who served as a Wisconsin circuit court judge for Milwaukee County from 2016 until her resignation in 2026 after a jury found her guilty of a felony. Prior to her judicial service, Dugan was president of the Milwaukee Bar Association, served as an executive director of Catholic Charities USA in southeastern Wisconsin, and worked with several legal aid organizations.
On April 25, 2025, Dugan was arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and indicted on federal charges after she informed a defendant who was an illegal immigrant to the presence of federal immigration agents, directed him to leave through a nonpublic exit of the courthouse, and thereby impeded federal agents who were attempting to take him into custody following a court appearance. The case drew national attention, with differing views expressed regarding the scope of federal enforcement authority and judicial conduct. Critics described the arrest as politically motivated and indicative of authoritarian enforcement under the second Trump administration, while supporters characterized it as a legitimate application of federal law.
The Wisconsin Supreme Court suspended Dugan from judicial duties pending the outcome of the case. On December 18, 2025, a federal jury found her guilty of one felony count of obstructing federal agents and not guilty on a lesser misdemeanor charge of concealing a wanted person. Dugan resigned from the bench in a letter to Wisconsin governor Tony Evers. A sentencing date has not yet been set; according to U.S. media reports, Dugan faces up to five years in prison.
Dugan holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in legal studies from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and a master's degree in American studies from Boston College. She graduated from the University of Wisconsin Law School in 1987 and taught law courses at Marquette University and the Seattle University School of Law. From 1999 to 2000, Dugan was president of the Milwaukee Bar Association.
Dugan spent much of her career working with legal aid organizations to provide assistance to people who are unable to afford legal representation, and served as the executive director of Catholic Charities of Southeastern Wisconsin from 2006 to 2009. She was active in professional organizations and refereed attorney discipline cases brought by the Wisconsin Office of Lawyer Regulation. Speaking to the Milwaukee Independent in 2016, Dugan stated that she found the judiciary situation in Milwaukee challenging, but believed in the independence of its judges.
Dugan was elected a Wisconsin circuit court judge in 2016, defeating incumbent Paul Rifelj with 65% of the vote. During her tenure, she primarily oversaw cases in the court's misdemeanor division. Dugan was suspended by the Wisconsin Supreme Court in April 2025 after being charged with the federal offenses related to allegedly helping an illegal immigrant evade arrest. She faced federal charges of concealing an individual to prevent his discovery and arrest and obstructing or impeding a proceeding.
On April 18, 2025, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) issued an arrest warrant for Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, a 30-year-old illegal immigrant from Mexico accused of misdemeanor battery, who was set to appear in court on April 18, 2025, before Dugan on charges of battery and domestic abuse.
From 2019 to January 21, 2025, a federal policy existed for ICE to refrain from making routine arrests at courthouses. On February 21, 2025, an interim guidance was issued by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) titled "Enforcement Actions in or Near Protected Areas." Under this interim guidance, ICE officers or agents may conduct civil immigration enforcement actions in or near courthouses when they have credible information that leads them to believe the targeted alien(s) is or will be present at a specific location, and where such action is not precluded by laws imposed by the jurisdiction in which the civil immigration enforcement action will take place. According to an affidavit filed by an FBI agent in support of the criminal complaint against her, Dugan was described as angry when she learned that ICE agents were waiting outside her courtroom to arrest Flores-Ruiz. She then allegedly questioned the agents in the hallway and asked whether they had a judicial warrant. They informed her that they had an administrative warrant to detain Flores-Ruiz. Dugan told the agents that they needed a judicial warrant, not an administrative warrant, and she directed them to speak to Chief Judge Carl Ashley. She then returned to her courtroom.
Hannah Dugan
Hannah C. Dugan (born 1959) is an American attorney who served as a Wisconsin circuit court judge for Milwaukee County from 2016 until her resignation in 2026 after a jury found her guilty of a felony. Prior to her judicial service, Dugan was president of the Milwaukee Bar Association, served as an executive director of Catholic Charities USA in southeastern Wisconsin, and worked with several legal aid organizations.
On April 25, 2025, Dugan was arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and indicted on federal charges after she informed a defendant who was an illegal immigrant to the presence of federal immigration agents, directed him to leave through a nonpublic exit of the courthouse, and thereby impeded federal agents who were attempting to take him into custody following a court appearance. The case drew national attention, with differing views expressed regarding the scope of federal enforcement authority and judicial conduct. Critics described the arrest as politically motivated and indicative of authoritarian enforcement under the second Trump administration, while supporters characterized it as a legitimate application of federal law.
The Wisconsin Supreme Court suspended Dugan from judicial duties pending the outcome of the case. On December 18, 2025, a federal jury found her guilty of one felony count of obstructing federal agents and not guilty on a lesser misdemeanor charge of concealing a wanted person. Dugan resigned from the bench in a letter to Wisconsin governor Tony Evers. A sentencing date has not yet been set; according to U.S. media reports, Dugan faces up to five years in prison.
Dugan holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in legal studies from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and a master's degree in American studies from Boston College. She graduated from the University of Wisconsin Law School in 1987 and taught law courses at Marquette University and the Seattle University School of Law. From 1999 to 2000, Dugan was president of the Milwaukee Bar Association.
Dugan spent much of her career working with legal aid organizations to provide assistance to people who are unable to afford legal representation, and served as the executive director of Catholic Charities of Southeastern Wisconsin from 2006 to 2009. She was active in professional organizations and refereed attorney discipline cases brought by the Wisconsin Office of Lawyer Regulation. Speaking to the Milwaukee Independent in 2016, Dugan stated that she found the judiciary situation in Milwaukee challenging, but believed in the independence of its judges.
Dugan was elected a Wisconsin circuit court judge in 2016, defeating incumbent Paul Rifelj with 65% of the vote. During her tenure, she primarily oversaw cases in the court's misdemeanor division. Dugan was suspended by the Wisconsin Supreme Court in April 2025 after being charged with the federal offenses related to allegedly helping an illegal immigrant evade arrest. She faced federal charges of concealing an individual to prevent his discovery and arrest and obstructing or impeding a proceeding.
On April 18, 2025, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) issued an arrest warrant for Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, a 30-year-old illegal immigrant from Mexico accused of misdemeanor battery, who was set to appear in court on April 18, 2025, before Dugan on charges of battery and domestic abuse.
From 2019 to January 21, 2025, a federal policy existed for ICE to refrain from making routine arrests at courthouses. On February 21, 2025, an interim guidance was issued by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) titled "Enforcement Actions in or Near Protected Areas." Under this interim guidance, ICE officers or agents may conduct civil immigration enforcement actions in or near courthouses when they have credible information that leads them to believe the targeted alien(s) is or will be present at a specific location, and where such action is not precluded by laws imposed by the jurisdiction in which the civil immigration enforcement action will take place. According to an affidavit filed by an FBI agent in support of the criminal complaint against her, Dugan was described as angry when she learned that ICE agents were waiting outside her courtroom to arrest Flores-Ruiz. She then allegedly questioned the agents in the hallway and asked whether they had a judicial warrant. They informed her that they had an administrative warrant to detain Flores-Ruiz. Dugan told the agents that they needed a judicial warrant, not an administrative warrant, and she directed them to speak to Chief Judge Carl Ashley. She then returned to her courtroom.