Ex-Wisconsin judge fined $5,000, spared prison in ICE obstruction case

Former Wisconsin Judge Hannah Dugan received a $5,000 fine and avoided prison time for her role in helping a Mexican defendant evade U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. Dugan, 67, was convicted of felony obstruction in December after she ushered the defendant out of her courtroom in April 2025. U.S. District Judge Lynn Adelman noted Dugan's otherwise law-abiding life, stating she made a bad decision in the moment, possibly due to frustration with immigration policies. The judge emphasized that Dugan's actions did not ultimately prevent the defendant's arrest outside the courthouse. Dugan, who had served nine years as a Milwaukee County circuit judge, resigned in January amid impeachment threats from Republican lawmakers who called her an activist judge. Her defense team argued that the Trump administration sought to "crush" her to enforce compliance with ICE's strategy of targeting immigrants in court. Dugan herself stated she was a public servant trying to do her job and that her prosecution threatened judicial independence. Executive Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard Frohling acknowledged Dugan faced "collateral damage" but maintained that judges must follow the law. Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany had called for her to be "locked up."

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I think this is a situation where an otherwise good person, upset by immigration policies in this country, made a bad decision in the moment.