Milwaukee residents will see a rare federal court penalty tied to courthouse operations after a former Milwaukee County Circuit Court judge was fined for obstructing a federal immigration proceeding.
What happened and what changed
U.S. District Judge Lynn Adelman sentenced former Judge Hannah Dugan to pay a $5,000 fine after a federal jury convicted her in December 2025 of trying to impede a pending Department of Homeland Security proceeding. The conviction followed a four-day trial in the Eastern District of Wisconsin.
The incident at the center of the case occurred April 18, 2025, in the Milwaukee County Courthouse. Prosecutors say officers with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Enforcement and Removal Operations task force arrived with a lawful administrative warrant to arrest Eduardo Flores Ruiz, who was scheduled to appear before Dugan on misdemeanor domestic violence charges and had previously been removed from the country.
Actions that led to the charge
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, the ICE officers were in the courthouse's public hallway in plain clothes and had informed the courtroom deputy and courthouse security about their plan before Dugan arrived. Prosecutors contend Dugan left her courtroom, brought another judge with her, confronted the officers and told one the administrative warrant was insufficient, directing them to go to the chief judge's office.
Afterward, prosecutors say Dugan returned to her courtroom, handled the defendant's case off the record, rescheduled the matter and had the defendant and his attorney exit through a side door leading to a nonpublic hallway instead of the public corridor where the officers had been waiting.
"I'll do it. I'll get the heat,"
— words prosecutors attribute to Dugan when declining a court reporter's offer to guide Flores Ruiz to avoid the "wrong door."
- Date of incident: April 18, 2025
- Conviction: December 2025, after a four-day federal trial
- Sentence: $5,000 fine imposed by U.S. District Judge Lynn Adelman
Local consequences and context
The case touches on interactions between local court staff and federal immigration enforcement, an area that can affect courtroom security protocols and how judges, deputies and courthouse security coordinate with federal agents. The U.S. Attorney's Office handled the prosecution in the Eastern District of Wisconsin.
While the sentence was a monetary fine rather than incarceration, the conviction underscores federal scrutiny of actions that may interfere with lawful federal enforcement operations in local courthouses. The decision may prompt local courts to review or reiterate policies governing communication and procedures when federal agents have warrants or are present at the courthouse.
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| Alleged obstruction at Milwaukee County Courthouse | April 18, 2025 |
| Federal jury conviction of Hannah Dugan | December 2025 |
| Sentencing to $5,000 fine | July 2026 (reported July 15, 2026) |
The U.S. Attorney's Office provided the details of the prosecution; prosecutors said the ICE officers had notified courthouse personnel of their plans prior to Dugan's arrival. The sentencing was handed down by Judge Adelman as part of a federal prosecution for endeavoring to obstruct a pending DHS proceeding.
For Milwaukee residents, the case is a reminder of the overlap between local court operations and federal immigration enforcement, and of the legal consequences that can follow when officials are accused of impeding federal actions.
