Dugan Sentenced to $5,000 Fine, Will Appeal Conviction

Milwaukee Federal Courthouse. Photo by Mariiana Tzotcheva

Former Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan was sentenced to a $5,000 fine in federal criminal court Wednesday for obstructing a federal immigration proceeding in April 2025.

U.S. District Judge Lynn Adelman issued the sentence, citing Dugan’s lifelong dedication to public service and finding that she’s unlikely to reoffend and does not pose any danger to the community. Under federal law, her conviction carried a potential sentence of up to five years in prison.

He pointed to a previous U.S. Supreme Court decision that held that there is a consistent tradition for federal judges to consider each case, and the person at its center, on an individual basis, and that “punishment should fit the offender and not merely the crime.” Adelman said Dugan’s actions appeared to amount to “a situation where an otherwise good person, upset by immigration enforcement in this country, a view widely shared, made a bad decision in the moment.”

Dugan was charged with one count of obstruction and another count of helping a person evade arrest last year for her role in an incident at the Milwaukee County Courthouse. On April 18, 2025, Dugan learned U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was at the courthouse, confronted agents in a public hallway, sent some of them away to speak with the chief judge, then sent an immigrant named Eduardo Flores-Ruiz out of her courtroom through a side door. It turned out he was the target of the operation, and was later arrested outside the courthouse.

Leading up to the sentencing hearing Wednesday, federal prosecutors suggested the court sentence Dugan to imprisonment, pointing to federal sentencing guidelines and arguing it was necessary to ensure respect for the law and trust in the judicial system. Prosecutors said hers was a serious crime that warranted a serious sentence. Dugan’s defense pushed for a sentence of time served in memos to the court and during the hearing.

Executive Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard Frohling said “sometimes otherwise lawful and decent people make bad decisions” and emphasized the government’s view that Dugan’s actions were serious, undermined the integrity of the judicial system and violated her position of public trust.

Following the sentencing hearing, one of her attorneys, Jason Luczak, told the media that Dugan would appeal her case to the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

“We look forward to presenting the arguments that we think were right all along, and we think that at the end of the day … the appellate process will play out and we will be successful, and we look forward to doing that,” Luczak said.

Dugan spoke in court Wednesday for the first time since she was arraigned on charges last April. Her actions last year at the county courthouse were not malicious or intended to advantage herself, she said, but consistent with her longstanding effort to carry out the duties of her judicial office and an oath that she swore to uphold. The courthouse faced “a precarious situation previously unseen in our state courts” last year, and her actions were consistent with “community and administrative concerns” about the “sanctity of the courthouse,” she said. 

It was the “honor of her life” to serve as a judge, Dugan said. She resigned her seat on the bench in January to ensure there was a sitting judge presiding over her courtroom while her case continued.

“I have been cast as both a scofflow and as a hero,” Dugan said. “I am neither. I am a public servant who was just trying to do my job.”

Dugan told the court that she intends to return to serving the public and her community. She explained her motivation to serve by quoting President Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, calling for citizens to take action to preserve and further democracy: “It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work.”

Dugan said she intends to work on access to justice initiatives, voting rights and civics education following the resolution of her case.

“I take this conviction seriously,” Dugan said. “I appeared here respectfully and with faith and with belief in our judicial system.”

Two character witnesses took the stand during Dugan’s sentencing hearing. Rev. Gregory O’Meara, a Jesuit priest and professor at Marquette University Law School, said Dugan’s life and career have been guided by her Catholic faith. It has led her to dedicate herself to serving the poor and the oppressed. Former Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Janine Geske said Dugan has similarly dedicated her life to civic and community service. Both said Dugan has faced enough consequence already, having lost her job and pulling back from her community.

Adelman noted that the court took seriously Dugan’s distinguished career serving others, as well as the collateral consequences of her arrest: the loss of her profession and income, loss of standing in the community, and being a convicted felon. “For someone who has dedicated her life to the law, this amounts to significant punishment regardless of what I do today,” he said. 

Dugan’s conviction serves as proof that no one is above the law, Adelman said, adding that Dugan demonstrates no need for correctional treatment or supervision offered by either imprisonment or probation.