There Goes The Judge: Will Dugan Do Time For Felony Obstruction of ICE?

You’ve heard of sanctuary cities. You have heard of sanctuary states. No one has ever heard of sanctuary courtrooms, however, at least not until Hannah Dugan actively obstructed ICE agents attempting to serve a legal detainer. 

And by “you,” I mean a Wisconsin jury that turned Judge Dugan into a felon. The panel acquitted Dugan on a less-serious misdemeanor charge of concealment, but didn’t take terribly long to convict her on felony obstruction:

Milwaukee County Judge Hannah Dugan faces up to five years in prison following her misguided attempt to assist Mexican national Eduardo Flores-Ruiz after Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents showed up to detain him April 18.

“Misguided”? The New York Post must believe that Dugan is a spirited-but-naive teen, rather than an attorney and judge who knew the law and defied it anyway. What’s next – calling anti-ICE riots “dialogue”?

Dugan’s team tried to claim vindication from the split verdict and promised to appeal:

“While we are disappointed in today’s outcome, the failure of the prosecution to secure convictions on both counts demonstrates the opportunity we have to clear Judge Dugan’s name and show she did nothing wrong in this matter,” the jurist’s defense team said in a statement.

“We have planned for this potential outcome and our defense of Judge Dugan is just beginning. This trial required considerable resources to prepare for and public support for Judge Dugan’s defense fund is critical as we prepare for the next phase of this defense.”

In other words, please send cash. At the moment, that does not look like a wise investment. Besides, anyone who might want to kick in to Dugan’s legal fund should really reflect on the perp she attempted to shield from legitimate legal consequences, not just with ICE but also in her own courtroom:

Flores-Ruiz was before Judge Dugan for a pre-trial hearing on three misdemeanor charges after allegedly pummeling a man with more than 30 punches during a March 12 fight over loud music, according to a criminal complaint obtained by The Post.

The Mexican national, previously deported from the US in 2013 and free on a signature bond at the time, also allegedly struck a woman who tried to intervene during the altercation.

When Dugan found out that ICE agents were waiting to execute the detainer, Dugan “adjourned” the case against Flores-Ruiz while his victims waited to testify. She then snuck him out of the courtroom so he could escape justice. That left the prosecutor and victims stunned, while ICE agents had to then chase down Flores-Ruiz, making the situation more dangerous for themselves, the perp, and others in the area. 

And all of that turned out to be pointless anyway. ICE caught Flores-Ruiz shortly afterward and deported him a month ago. 

Now, however, it may be Dugan who ends up in prison. The date for the sentencing hearing has not yet been set, but Dugan faces a potential five-year sentence in federal prison. Will she get any prison time for a first conviction? The local Fox affiliate describes the presiding judge as “very compassionate,” but you can bet that the Department of Justice will push for some form of detention:

I am also somewhat skeptical that Dugan will get any prison time, but I’m also completely unsympathetic to the notion that Dugan has been punished enough. She violated the public trust in a way that makes a mockery of the description of Judge Lynn Adelman by the analyst here. Unlike the trial judge in this case, Dugan was absolutely swayed by politics, tweets, and her own high dudgeon that she betrayed the victims and the people of Wisconsin in the case before her to obstruct federal law enforcement. Dugan was a judge, not a prince or potentate. The idea of reliance on the professionalism of this judge to shield her from the more unpleasant consequences of her own criminal unprofessionalism induces my gag reflex. 

As a first-time offender, Dugan will probably only get house arrest, along with loss of office and disbarment, and loss of her pension, presumably. Let’s hope we are pleasantly surprised at sentencing, but don’t bet on it. 

Addendum: For those too young to get the joke in the headline, here’s Sammy Davis Jr on Laugh-In, the classic sketch comedy series from the late 1960s and early 1970s. You still look pretty funky to me, lady.

Editor’s Note: Unelected federal judges are hijacking President Trump’s agenda and insulting the will of the people.

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