Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan was officially suspended by Wisconsin’s Supreme Court on April 29, after she was arrested by the FBI on April 25 and accused of helping a man evade immigration authorities.
“It is ordered ... that Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah C. Dugan is temporarily prohibited from exercising the powers of a circuit court judge in the state of Wisconsin, effective the date of this order and until further order of the court,” the justices wrote in their statement.
Dugan faces one count of “obstructing or impeding a proceeding before a department or agency,” and another of “concealing an individual to prevent his discovery and arrest.”
Wisconsin’s Supreme Court Justices said that it was in the public interest, to protect public confidence, to remove her from her post as she faces those two federal charges. They also noted that they were acting on their own initiative rather than at the request of anyone.
According to the affidavit, witnesses said she appeared “visibly upset and had a confrontational, angry demeanor,” upon learning of the arrest party’s arrival. Witnesses also alleged that Dugan “escorted” Flores Ruiz and his lawyer “out of the courtroom through the ‘jury door,’ which leads to a nonpublic area of the courthouse” (the door is only used by defendants if they are in the custody of deputies), after she “ordered” the team of FBI and deportation officials to go to the chief judge’s office.
Another officer noticed Flores Ruiz and his lawyer on an elevator and alerted the arrest team, who apprehended him after a foot race outside the courthouse.
Her next court appearance as a defendant is May 15, and she could face more disciplinary actions against her license to practice law.
A state court spokesperson told The Associated Press that a reserve judge began serving in Dugan’s place on April 28 and will continue to do so for an indefinite period of time.
