Milwaukee County circuit judgeHannah Dugan has been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of obstruction and concealing a person from arrest after allegedly helping an undocumented immigrant avoid capture by immigration agents during a court appearance, according to the department of justice.The indictment, announced Tuesday evening at a Milwaukee federal courthouse, allows the case to proceed after the initial charges filed in April. Judge Dugan is accused of assisting Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, a Mexican national previously deported in 2013, to evade US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents waiting outside her courtroom during a domestic abuse case hearing on April 18.As per news agency AP, Dugan allegedly learned from her clerk that immigration officers were present in the hallway. Visibly angry, she reportedly called the situation “absurd,” left the bench, and later confronted the agents with what witnesses described as a “confrontational, angry demeanour.” She told the officers to speak to the courthouse’s chief judge before returning to her courtroom and escorting Flores-Ruiz and his attorney out a back jury door typically reserved for court staff, deputies and jurors.Flores-Ruiz, who was free on bond in the domestic abuse case, was later apprehended after a foot chase outside the courthouse, reported The New York Times. The FBI claims there’s no record of him receiving legal permission to reenter the US after his 2013 removal.The judge was arrested in late April and charged with obstruction and concealing an individual to prevent arrest. If convicted, she faces up to six years in prison. Her plea hearing is scheduled for Thursday.Following her arrest, the Wisconsin Supreme Court temporarily suspended her, stating the decision was “in the public interest” to maintain trust in the judiciary.Dugan’s defence team, as quoted by Axios, said that “Judge Dugan asserts her innocence and looks forward to being vindicated in court.” They earlier said, “Judge Hannah C Dugan has committed herself to the rule of law and the principles of due process for her entire career.”The Trump administration has defended the prosecution as a necessary step to uphold federal law. Attorney general Pam Bondi said, “It doesn’t matter what line of work you are in, if you break the law, we will follow the facts and we will prosecute you,” as quoted by The New York Times.However, critics argue the indictment is politically motivated. More than 150 former judges signed a letter accusing federal prosecutors of attempting to intimidate the judiciary, warning it could “undermine the rule of law” and erode public trust in courts.
