Disgraced former Wisconsin Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan faced another setback on Monday when a court smacked down her latest attempt to escape consequences for helping an illegal alien attempt to evade consequences.
That illegal alien failed, and it looks like the same will happen to Dugan. More’s the pity.
Dugan, you may recall, was the judge who helped an illegal in her Milwaukee County court who was about to be taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in April of 2025 attempt to escape.
She was convicted in December of felony obstruction for her actions. She appealed the decision, according to Wisconsin Public Radio, with her attorneys motioning that she should be acquitted or at least granted a new trial.
On Monday, U.S. District Judge Lynn Adelman — who, by the way, is quite progressive with a history of what can best be described as extrajudicial activism — denied both of those requests.
🚨 BOOM: Court just REJECTED disgraced leftist Judge Hannah Dugan’s appeal, her felony conviction for helping an illegal alien dodge DHS agents and skip deportation is OFFICIALLY UPHELD.
PUT HER IN PRISON! pic.twitter.com/P56L4Czj0L
— Gunther Eagleman™ (@GuntherEagleman) April 6, 2026
In his decision, the Clinton-appointed Adelman wrote that Dugan’s attorneys were simply providing a “rehash” of positions that had already been rejected by the court — namely, that his instructions to the jury were flawed, that she did not have an immunity defense, and that an argument by her defense team that she had immunity was put forth too late to be considered in an appeal, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
“As I noted in denying the motion to dismiss, there was no basis for granting immunity simply because the indictment described conduct that could be considered ‘part of a judge’s job,’” Adelman wrote in his decision.
“As the government notes, the operating assumption of those involved in creating a policy was that civil ICE arrests in public areas of the courthouse were lawful and the judiciary did not have the ability to stop them.”
However, Adelman took the unusual step of not setting a sentencing date in anticipation of (sigh) yet another appeal.
Dugan’s conviction in December and her resignation in early January marked the end of a sordid saga that began with Eduardo Flores-Ruiz appearing in her court on April 18, 2025 to answer for battery charges — the latest in a laundry list of criminal offenses for the 31-year-old Mexican national who had re-entered the United States following prior removal. He’d also racked up battery, strangulation, and suffocation charges in the past.
Despite the fact that the battery case in question dealt with him punching a man 30 times, allegedly, Judge Dugan was apparently furious when ICE showed up to take him into custody.
She led him into a restricted area of the courthouse with his attorney and then escorted him out through a side-entrance to make his escape.
NEW: Milwaukee County releases footage showing Judge Hannah Dugan apparently sneaking an illegal immigrant out of the building by deceiving ICE agents.
The footage shows Eduardo Flores-Ruiz being snuck out of the courtroom before he got in a foot race with agents.
Dugan was… pic.twitter.com/QFjEuTtRa1
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) May 23, 2025
A chase ensued, Flores-Ruiz was apprehended (and subsequently removed from the country) and Dugan was both removed from the court and charged with felony obstruction and misdemeanor concealing an individual to prevent his arrest or discovery.
She was convicted on the former, more serious charge, but acquitted of the latter — in part, her attorneys argued, because of judge Adelman’s instructions.
Adelman told the jury that Dugan did not have to know the identity of the individual ICE was seeking inside the courthouse to convict on the felony obstruction charge, but she did on the misdemeanor concealment charge.
In truth, given the fact that Adelman’s history made him the most sympathetic judge possible to hear this case, she’s probably lucky she only got away with the single conviction. And yes, she has appeals left, but eventually this probably comes to someone with some sense, who’s not going to grant her a new trial over a “rehash” of minor jury instruction differences and a belated argument of immunity.
Do the crime, do the time, Judge Dugan. That applied to Flores-Ruiz, and let’s hope that applies to you — up to five years in prison, if the harshest sentence is handed down.
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