The Wisconsin judge who was arrested by the FBI on Friday and accused of interfering in the arrest of an undocumented immigrant has a decadeslong history of advocating for the poor and vulnerable.
Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan faces two charges for obstruction and concealing the individual from arrest after federal authorities accused her of directing a defendant – who was attending a hearing in her courtroom last Friday and facing domestic-battery charges – to leave through a non-public door in order to avoid immigration officers who were waiting outside to arrest him.
The man, Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, a Mexican national, was ordered to be removed from the United States in 2013, and authorities learned he was back in the United States without authorization after his arrest in the local domestic-violence case. He was captured outside the courthouse by immigration authorities after a short chase.
Dugan’s attorneys said in a brief statement that the judge “has committed herself to the rule of law and the principles of due process for her entire career as a lawyer and a judge” and “will defend herself vigorously, and looks forward to being exonerated.”
Dugan was first elected to a six-year term on the Milwaukee County Circuit Court in 2016 and reelected in 2022. She has a decadeslong history of working with aid organizations and was an active member or leader of several Milwaukee-area legal groups and charities. Much of her experience appears to focus on advocacy for the poor.
Prior to her election, Dugan practiced civil law for six years, according to her LinkedIn. She previously served as executive director of Catholic Charities of Southeastern Wisconsin and was a past president of the Milwaukee Bar Association. She also worked as an adjunct assistant professor at Marquette University’s law school. Her LinkedIn describes her as having been a “frequent speaker on ethics and poverty law topics.”
In 2003, she was named by the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Milwaukee to a board that assessed complaints of sexual abuse against members of clergy, according to media reports at the time.
She wrote often about civil rights and the law as a contributor to the Milwaukee Independent. Her campaign’s Facebook page shows her participating in a variety of local community events – marching in parades, planting American flags at a veterans’ cemetery and judging poetry competitions
In a 2021 article she wrote for the state bar’s publication, she described a “passion project” of having her picture taken in front of every county courthouse in Wisconsin.
Dugan received her bachelor’s degree and a law degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a master’s degree from Boston College.
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