• Milwaukee Judge Hannah Dugan found guilty of felony obstruction.
• She assisted Eduardo Flores-Ruiz in evading immigration arrest.
• The incident occurred during a courthouse hearing in April.
• Dugan claimed judicial immunity but was denied dismissal of charges.
• She faces up to six years in prison after the conviction.

Hannah Dugan, a Milwaukee County Circuit Court judge, was found guilty of felony obstruction after helping an undocumented immigrant evade arrest by immigration authorities. Dugan was accused of facilitating the escape of Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, who was in her courtroom for a battery charge in April, while federal agents were waiting to arrest him outside. The jury cleared her of a lesser charge related to concealing the individual to prevent arrest, according to CBS News, ABC News, and Reuters.

The trial revealed that Dugan intervened during an immigration enforcement operation at her courthouse, allegedly instructing Flores-Ruiz to evade arrest. Federal prosecutors contended her actions obstructed the officers' duties, claiming she diverted them to the chief judge's office and subsequently led Flores-Ruiz out through a private jury door once she confirmed that ICE agents were present. As a result of her actions, Flores-Ruiz was captured outside the courthouse following a brief foot chase, emphasizing the serious nature of Dugan’s actions, according to NPR and Reuters.

Dugan, who pleaded not guilty, faces up to six years in prison following her conviction. She argued that her actions were motivated by policy confusion about ICE's presence during legal proceedings, aiming to reflect the climate of tension regarding immigration enforcement in courthouses during the Trump administration, which had instigated tougher ICE operations. Her legal team argued that Dugan was merely attempting to assist her courtroom's procedural integrity, as agents appeared without a judicial warrant, according to ABC News, Reuters, and NPR.