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Wisconsin judge convicted of obstructing immigration officers, faces up to 5 years

December 19, 2025 | | Print Article

In what proves to be an exceptionally rare case these days, an activist judge has been held accountable for her egregious actions.

Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan famously told a court reporter she would “take the heat” before personally escorting an illegal immigrant out the back door of her courtroom to avoid immigration officers on hand to arrest him.

On Thursday, a federal jury deliberated for just 6 hours before delivering the “heat,” finding the judge guilty of obstructing federal agents attempting to arrest Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, who was appearing in Dugan’s court on misdemeanor battery charges. The illegal alien from Mexico, who had already been deported once, was caught outside the courthouse after a short chase and has since been deported.

“Dugan confronted the agents when she learned of their presence. She sent them down the hall to the office of the county’s chief judge and, while most of the agents were away, postponed Flores Ruiz’s hearing and directed him and his attorney out a back door in her courtroom,” The Washington Post reported.

Attorney Jason Luczak, who represented Dugan, told the jury: “You’re the check on government overreach. Use your power to do justice in this case. You have the power to correct this unjust prosecution. It’s your decision and justice is in your hands.”

The judge faces up to five years in jail for providing Flores-Ruiz an “escape route,” as described by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kelly Brown Watzka.

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“She was a frustrated and angry judge who was fed up, who decided to corruptly take matters into her own hands,” the prosecutor said.

Elon Musk responded to the post above to accurately state, “Many judges had broken the law.”

Here’s a quick sampling of other responses to the story, as seen on X:

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Tom Tillison
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