Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Wisconsin
More Donald Trump ally charges may follow Wisconsin indictments
Charges may follow in other states after Wisconsin indicted three Trump supporters on election fraud, an attorney has said.
Three men, two of whom are former President Donald Trump’s co-accused in his Georgia indictment, were charged on Tuesday with attempts to overthrow Wisconsin’s result in the 2020 presidential election.
Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul filed felony forgery charges against two of Trump’s former attorneys—Kenneth Chesebro and Jim Troupis—and Mike Roman, Trump’s former aide, in relation to their alleged part in creating a slate of fake electors who were willing to certify that Trump had won the Wisconsin ballot.
In August, Roman and Chesebro were indicted in Atlanta, along with Trump and 16 others, on charges of attempting to illegally overturn Georgia’s 2020 presidential election result, and there have been a string of indictments in other states in recent months. Roman, Chesebro and Trump have all pleaded not guilty.
Anne Stevenson, an attorney in Massachusetts, told Newsweek that other states may now follow with further indictments.
“As Chesebro and his co-conspirators continue to await trial in Georgia, he picked up new indictments for what appears to be similar crimes in Wisconsin. There will likely be other states that follow suit,” she said.
“Conservative commentators believe these cases are just political showboating that will all go away with time, but I would not be surprised if there are more convictions,” Stevenson continued.
She said several Trump attorneys had now been indicted and that each should have been aware of the legal dangers.
“It’s hard to believe an accomplished attorney like Chesebro misunderstood the law to the extent that he now finds himself indicted. So many red flags were there,” she said.
Newsweek has contacted attorneys for Chesebro, Roman and Trump for comment via email.
Recently, there has been a flurry of activity in several states concerning the 2020 election.
On April 24, an Arizona grand jury indicted Mark Meadows, Trump’s former chief of staff; former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani; Roman and 15 others on charges of trying to overthrow Arizona’s 2020 presidential election result.
In December, six Trump supporters were indicted in Nevada on charges of creating a forged election certificate and offering the fake certificate as an election result. All have pleaded not guilty.
In July, Michigan’s attorney general filed charges against 16 Trump supporters allegedly involved in a fake elector plot. One signed a cooperation agreement, and the other 15 have pleaded not guilty.
At a pretrial hearing in April, Howard Shock, a state investigator in Michigan, confirmed in testimony that Trump, Meadows and Giuliani were uncharged co-conspirators in the case.
Duane Silverthorn, a defense attorney, offered a series of names and asked Shock if they were “unindicted co-conspirators”—which means they were not charged but could have been part of an alleged plot to put Michigan’s electoral votes in Trump’s column. Shock said yes to Trump, Meadows, Giuliani and some high-ranking state Republicans.
A judge is holding hearings to determine if there is enough evidence to order a trial.
On Tuesday, the Georgia Court of Appeals announced that it would not hear arguments in the Atlanta case until October, all but guaranteeing that the former president’s trial will not begin until after November’s general election. The case against Roman and some of the other defendants would also be delayed.
If elected, Trump could request that the Supreme Court delay the Georgia case until after he has left office.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Wisconsin
South Milwaukee, Wisconsin, officials in standoff with homeowner over year-round skeleton display
The city of South Milwaukee, Wisconsin, has ordered a homeowner to take down his year-round giant skeleton display or face fines, but the homeowner is standing firm and refusing, even as the deadline to remove the display has passed.
Now there’s a skeleton standoff.
The city cited ordinance violations in their order for Sean Oster to dismantle the lawn decorations. The notice specifically references “large Halloween decorations being displayed not during the appropriate time of year.”
Oster was also ordered to make other improvements to his property.
But Oster has refused to take down the display, which is re-dressed as the year goes on and is currently sporting a Fourth of July theme. The Institute for Justice, a public interest law firm, has come to his aid, saying the city’s actions violate Oster’s First Amendment rights.
City administrators declined to comment, citing a pending investigation. Neighbors have been divided by the display; some say they’re fine with it, and think it brings fun and positivity to the neighborhood, but some others want to see it removed and say the lawn should be kept up better and more consistently.
Oster said he’s hoping to reach an agreement with the city, and said he’s corrected all other violations outside of the display.
Wisconsin
Former Wisconsin judge to be sentenced after conviction in obstructing arrest of Mexican immigrant
Former Wisconsin Judge Hannah Dugan, who was convicted of felony obstruction for helping an immigrant evade federal officers in a case that highlighted President Donald Trump’s sweeping immigration crackdown, is scheduled to be sentenced Wednesday in federal court.
Dugan, 67, faces up to five years in prison after a jury convicted her on Dec. 19. She resigned from her position as a Milwaukee County circuit judge two weeks later amid threats of impeachment from Republican state lawmakers. She had been a judge for nine years.
Trump administration tried to make an example out of Milwaukee judge
The Trump administration brought the case against Dugan as the president pressed ahead with his sweeping immigration crackdown. Trump’s administration and his allies branded Dugan as an activist judge, while Dugan’s attorneys said during the trial that the Trump administration was trying to make an example out of Dugan to “crush her.”
Immigrant rights advocates and other Dugan allies argued that the administration was trying to use her case to blunt judicial opposition to Trump’s immigration efforts. The case became a bellwether nationally in the conflict between the judiciary and Trump’s immigration crackdown.
Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, a fierce Trump loyalist running for Wisconsin governor, urged authorities to “lock her up” in a social media post following her conviction.
Dugan’s attorneys declined to comment ahead of the sentencing. Dugan did not testify during her trial, but her attorneys said she would be making comments to the court on Wednesday. That would be her first public comments on the case in more than a year.
Prosecutors push for ‘serious sentence’
Dugan’s attorneys argued that as a judge she was immune from prosecution. U.S. District Judge Lynn Adelman, who will hand down the sentence, has rejected attempts by Dugan to vacate her obstruction conviction.
Prosecutors argued in a sentencing memo filed last week that Dugan violated her oath as a judge and put both law enforcement and the public at risk.
“Judges are entrusted with tremendous discretion, but there is a line they cannot cross,” Executive Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard Frohling wrote. “The defendant crossed that line.”
Dugan’s attorneys argued she has “punished enough,” including resigning as a judge and facing threats of violence. They argued in her sentencing memo that she should not be sentenced to any jail time besides the part of one day she already spent in federal custody.
Under federal sentencing guidelines, the presentence report calls for 15 to 21 months behind bars. The judge is not bound by those guidelines.
Prosecutors said the average sentence for obstruction cases is 16 months, but they did not recommend a sentence.
“This was a serious offense, and it warrants a correspondingly serious sentence,” Frohling wrote.
No matter what she is sentenced to, Dugan’s attorneys said they plan to file an appeal.
Dugan’s case was a first for Wisconsin
Dugan’s case marked the first time that a state judge in Wisconsin went to trial on charges of obstructing immigration agents. She was found not guilty of concealing an individual to prevent arrest, a misdemeanor.
On April 18, 2025, immigration officers went to the Milwaukee County courthouse after learning 31-year-old Eduardo Flores-Ruiz had reentered the country illegally and was scheduled to appear before Dugan for a hearing in a state battery case.
Dugan confronted agents outside her courtroom and directed them to the chief judge’s office because she told them their administrative warrant wasn’t sufficient grounds to arrest Flores-Ruiz.
After the agents left, she led Flores-Ruiz and his attorney out a private jury door. Agents spotted Flores-Ruiz in the corridor, followed him outside and arrested him after a foot chase. A week later, FBI agents arrested Dugan in the courthouse, leading her outside in handcuffs.
Flores-Ruiz was deported in November.
MENASHA, Wis. (WFRV) — History was made today, as Melodee Liegel successfully completed her nearly 17-hour swim just before 9:00 p.m. on July 7.
The swim, which started at the Fond du Lac Lighthouse and ended in Menasha, was just under 28 whole miles in length. Liegel began her swim at 4:00 in the morning, treading water only occasionally for snack and rest breaks.
Liegel, a resident of Delafield, Wisconsin, is the first person in history to complete the swim, which covered the entirety of Lake Winnebago.
Local fishing guide Troy Peterson was riding alongside Melodee as she completed her swim. His Facebook has more information, as does their website tracking her swim.
WFRV will update this story as necessary.
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