State Supreme Court Suspends Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge After Arrest

The Wisconsin Supreme Court announced Tuesday that it was suspending Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan after she was arrested by federal authorities last week.

The Supreme Court issued an order Tuesday afternoon that it was temporarily relieving her of her official duties and that she is “temporarily prohibited” from exercising her powers as a circuit court judge in the state until further notice.

According to the order, the Supreme Court took this action after Dugan was charged with two federal criminal offenses, a felony and misdemeanor. The court said it was taking this action to “uphold the public’s confidence in the courts of this state.” 

Earlier this week, it was announced that Dugan’s upcoming court cases would be handled by Milwaukee County Chief Judge Carl Ashley, a reserve judge.

Dugan was arrested by the FBI on federal obstruction charges on Friday. She was taken into custody at the Milwaukee County Courthouse, accused of helping an undocumented immigrant evade arrest by federal immigration agents. The charges include concealing a person from discovery and arrest and obstructing federal government proceedings, each carrying a potential maximum sentence of six years in prison.

The undocumented immigrant, Eduardo Flores Ruiz, faced three misdemeanor battery/domestic abuse charges from a March 12 incident in Milwaukee and appeared before Dugan for a pretrial hearing on April 18. 

Federal prosecutors allege that Dugan deliberately helped him avoid ICE agents during the hearing. He was eventually chased down and arrested.

Dugan’s arrest has sparked controversy amid ongoing public controversy about the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement policies and underscored lingering tension between federal immigration enforcement authorities and local officials. 

Stay tuned to Civic Media for continuing coverage.

Editor’s note: Stuart J. Wattles and David Hyland contributed to this report.