Midwest
Milwaukee judge not immune from charges after allegedly helping illegal immigrant evade ICE, prosecutors say
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Federal prosecutors are pushing back against Milwaukee Judge Hannah Dugan’s motion to dismiss an indictment filed against her for allegedly helping an illegal immigrant evade Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers in the Milwaukee County Courthouse last month.
Dugan, 65, was indicted last month on federal charges of obstruction of proceedings before a U.S. agency and unlawful concealment of an individual subject to arrest.
Her attorneys say she is entitled to judicial immunity and that the federal government overstepped its authority by arresting and charging her, violating her 10th Amendment rights and the principle of separation of powers, according to court documents filed in late May.
On Wednesday, prosecutors filed a response to her motion to dismiss, noting that “the Supreme Court has made clear that judges are not immune from criminal liability.”
WISCONSIN JUDGE CLAIMS ‘ABSOLUTE IMMUNITY,’ CALLS DOJ INDICTMENT AN ‘UGLY INNOVATION’
Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan leaves the federal courthouse after a hearing on Thursday, May 15, 2025 in Milwaukee. (Andy Manis, File)
“In the end, Dugan asks for this Court to develop a novel doctrine of judicial immunity from criminal prosecution, and to apply it to the facts alleged in the indictment, all without reasonable basis—directly or indirectly—in the Constitution, statutes, or case law,” prosecutors wrote.
“In her lengthy memorandum, Dugan concedes that ‘[j]udges, like legislators and executive officials, are not above the law,’” they said.
“Dugan’s desired ruling would, in essence, say that judges are ‘above the law,’ and uniquely entitled to interfere with federal law enforcement,” prosecutors added.
Federal prosecutors allege that the Milwaukee Circuit Court judge personally escorted Mexican illegal immigrant and domestic battery suspect Eduardo Flores-Ruiz out of the courthouse on April 18 while ICE agents were attempting to serve a warrant.
NEW FOOTAGE SHOWS MILWAUKEE JUDGE CONFRONTING ICE BEFORE ALLEGEDLY HELPING ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT EXIT
Eduardo Flores-Ruiz and Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan. (DHS/Milwaukee Independent via AP)
The surveillance footage recently released by Milwaukee County in response to an open records request appears to show Dugan, wearing her black robe, confronting ICE agents in the courthouse hallway.
MILWAUKEE JUDGE HANNAH DUGAN TO ENTER PLEA IN FEDERAL COURT
Federal prosecutors say members of ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), along with federal partners from the FBI, DEA, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection, were preparing to serve Flores-Ruiz with a warrant in a public courthouse hallway on April 18 before his scheduled court appearance with Dugan.
WATCH THE SURVEILLANCE FOOTAGE:
After becoming aware of what federal officials described as a valid immigration arrest warrant for Flores-Ruiz, Dugan allegedly told agents that they needed a judicial warrant and told them to go to the chief judge’s office.
The agents then left their place in the hallway, at which point Dugan allegedly chose not to hold a hearing for Flores-Ruiz and “personally escorted” the suspect and his attorney through a private exit while the victims of his alleged crimes were in the courthouse at the time, the Justice Department said in a press release.
MILWAUKEE COUNTY JUDGE HANNAH DUGAN INDICTED AFTER ALLEGEDLY HELPING ILLEGAL ALIEN EVADE ICE
Supporters of Judge Hannah Dugan protest outside the United States Federal Building and Courthouse in Milwaukee on Thursday, May 15, 2025. (AP/Todd Richmond)
While Dugan argues that ICE agents interrupted goings-on in the courthouse on April 18, prosecutors say it was Dugan who disrupted proceedings.
“The evidence also will show that agents were not in the courtroom when Dugan took the bench, but that—after being told by a member of her staff that ICE agents were present in the hallway—Dugan chose to pause an unrelated case, leave her courtroom, disrupt proceedings in a colleague’s courtroom to commandeer her assistance, and then confront agents in the public hallway,” the filing says.
WISCONSIN JUDGE ACCUSED OF OBSTRUCTING ICE COULD FACE YEARS IN PRISON, DOJ HAS ‘UPPER HAND’: FORMER PROSECUTOR
Judge Hannah Dugan allegedly told agents that they needed a judicial warrant and told them to go to the Chief Judge’s Office. (Milwaukee County)
Prosecutors say evidence also shows Dugan directing agents to the chief judge’s office even while knowing he was out, then she “quickly returned to her courtroom and, among other things, directed [Florez-Ruiz’s] attorney to ‘take your client out and come back and get a date; and then to go through the jury door and down the stairs’ before physically escorting [Flroes-Ruiz] and his attorney into a non-public hallway with access to a stairwell that led to a courthouse exit,” filings say.
Dugan “did this all just days after thanking a colleague for providing information which explained that ICE could lawfully make arrests in the courthouse hall,” prosecutors stated Wednesday.
The surveillance footage released by Milwaukee County appears to show Judge Hannah Dugan, wearing her black robes, confronting ICE agents in the courthouse hallway. (Milwaukee County)
“Put simply, nothing in the indictment or the anticipated evidence at trial supports Dugan’s assertion that agents ‘disrupted’ the court’s docket; instead, all events arose from Dugan’s unilateral, non-judicial, and unofficial actions in obstructing a federal immigration matter over which she, as a Wisconsin state judge, had no authority,” the document reads. “At the very least, for purposes of deciding this motion, Dugan’s claims to the contrary find no support in the indictment and should be rejected.”
One of Dugan’s defense attorneys, Dean Strang, told Fox News Digital that her counsel has a “good reply” to prosecutors’ Wednesday filing, but her team is waiting until their reply brief, due next Monday, to make it.
The Milwaukee judge has pleaded not guilty to charges filed against her, and a federal judge has set her trial date for July 21.
The FBI is seen arresting Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan on April 25. (Obtained by Fox News)
A federal indictment accuses Dugan of “falsely” telling federal officials in April that they needed a warrant to come into her courtroom during a scheduled appearance by Flores-Ruiz, an undocumented Mexican national facing three misdemeanor battery charges.
Video footage appears to show Flores-Ruiz exiting the courthouse with his attorney, while an ICE agent follows him, and then running alongside the building for about a block before agents capture and arrest him.
Federal officials arrested Dugan a week after the courthouse incident.
Judge Hannah Dugan appeared in federal court to answer charges that she helped Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, an undocumented immigrant, elude federal arrest while he was making an appearance in her courtroom on April 18. (Scott Olson)
Dugan could face a maximum sentence of six years. She has pleaded not guilty to the charges filed against her. Fox News Digital has reached out to her attorney, Craig Mastantuono, for comment on the footage.
In April, Dugan’s legal team also filed a motion to dismiss the federal case against her, saying the judge “is entitled to judicial immunity for her official acts.”
“Immunity is not a defense to the prosecution to be determined later by a jury or court; it is an absolute bar to the prosecution at the outset,” the motion said.
Fox News Digital’s Rachel Wolf contributed to this report.
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South Dakota
SculptureTour Salina Began with Trip to South Dakota
Nearly twenty years ago it started with a journey to Sioux Falls, SD to look for ideas there – to bring back to Salina.
Current Salina Mayor Mike Hoppock was part of the tour group searching for a creative connection to borrow.
This weekend SculptureTour Salina will unveil the new 2026 exhibit during the UNwrap Party on Saturday, May 2nd.
According to Visit Salina, the 24 new sculptures will be simultaneously unwrapped at precisely 11:00 am. Everyone is encouraged to bring family and friends and come downtown for the big reveal.
Everyone is encouraged to vote for the People’s Choice. Pick up a Walking Tour/Ballot from: One of the silver boxes at the mid-block pedestrian crossings on Santa Fe, or one of many of the downtown merchants
You can vote for your favorite piece and return your ballot to one of the silver boxes.
Wisconsin
Wisconsin secures 11th commitment from three-star defensive lineman
The Wisconsin Badgers seemingly can’t miss as they just landed their 11th commitment in the class of 2027.
After missing out on a three-star defensive lineman yesterday, Luke Fickell secured a priority target as Connecticut native Will Zaccagnino officially committed to the Badgers.
“I have been looking forward to this moment for a while,” Zaccagnino wrote. “First I thank God for the opportunities and my family, coaches and teammates for their support.
He continued, “I’m also grateful to every program and coach that recruited me through this amazing process. I am very excited to announce my commitment to the University of Wisconsin! I’m home!!!”
247Sports lists Zaccagnino as the No. 3 player in his state. Overall, he hovers around the top 100 defensive lineman when it comes to players in the class of 2027.
May 29 marks Zaccagnino’s official visit with the Badgers. Currently, he still has visits lined up through June 19 with Syracuse, UConn, Missouri, and Michigan State.
Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion.
Detroit, MI
Mailbag: Did Detroit Lions’ draft hint at defensive scheme changes?
The Detroit Lions defense needed some serious changes this offseason after the team’s efficiency dropped from the seventh-best scoring defense to 22nd in 2025. Detroit promised to look at everything, and while a complete overhaul of the scheme they’ve been using since 2021 was always unlikely, coaches have promised that they will tweak the system to fit the talent of their players.
Last weekend, the Lions drafted defensive players with five of their seven selections, showcasing that they need there was a talent deficiency on that side of the ball. But can their specific picks tell us anything about the strategic, schematic, or philosophical tweaks they are making to the team?
On one hand, all you have to do is look at the pure numbers of players at each position to suggest there may be some personnel changes in 2026. The Lions played more based defense (three linebacker sets) than anyone in 2025, but if you look at their depth chart right now (including the Lions’ two signings on Wednedsay), Detroit only has eight linebackers (including reported UDFA signing Erick Hunter) compared to 16 defensive backs. Detroit has several members of the secondary who can play in the slot, so is this a sign they plan on playing more nickel in 2026?
Additionally, the players they added to the defensive line seem to bring more pass rush juice than run stuffing. And Detroit has yet to really add a nose tackle to replace the likes DJ Reader or Roy Lopez. Has the team quietly admitted they’ve relied too much on stopping the run and need to tilt the scales a little more toward rushing the passer?
Or we could take things even further. With no true nose tackle, but several movable parts on the interior defensive line, could we see the Lions move to a 3-4 base defense? Given how much we’ve seen Aidan Hutchinson, DJ Wonnum, and rookie Derrick Moore play as a stand-up defensive end, Detroit would certainly have the personnel to make a change like that, especially considering it would only require two true off-ball linebackers. But is that too drastic of a change?
Erik Schlitt and I discuss that and a whole lot more in this week’s episode of the Midweek Mailbag. Other questions this week include:
Check out the full episode of the Midweek Mailbag on your favorite podcasting platform or just use the Spotify embed below.
Or if you’d prefer the video version of the show, it’s available on our YouTube page and Twitch Channel. And don’t forget to subscribe and set up notification so you can catch us live!
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