Judge Hannah Dugan Found Guilty of Obstructing Agents From Immigration Arrest

Wisconsin state judge Hannah Dugan was convicted Thursday on a felony charge of obstructing federal agents as they attempted to arrest an undocumented immigrant outside her Milwaukee courtroom earlier this year.

Dugan was acquitted of a charge of concealing a person from arrest, the Milwaukee Sentinel-Journal reports. The split verdict came after nearly seven hours of deliberation by the jury of five women and seven men.

Dugan, 66, is facing up to five years in prison, and as a convicted felon, will likely not be able to retain her office as a judge following her conviction.

In April, Dugan was preparing to preside over a set of misdemeanor cases when she learned ICE agents were gathered outside her courtroom waiting to arrest Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, a 31-year-old undocumented immigrant who was facing domestic battery charges.

Dugan went into the hallway and told the agents to go to a different judge's office. Back in her courtroom, Dugan told Flores-Ruiz and his attorney to leave through a side door for staff. Agents saw Flores-Ruiz in a public hallway, chased him on foot and arrested him. A week later, Dugan was arrested and led out of the courthouse in handcuffs. Flores-Ruiz was later deported.

Dugan was subsequently placed on administrative leave and was temporarily removed from the bench, although she continued to collect her salary.

Steve Biskupic, one of the lawyers who represented Dugan, said the case was "a long way from over." Her legal team plans to appeal the verdict.