Former Milwaukee County Judge Hannah Dugan received a $5,000 fine on Wednesday with no prison time for obstructing federal immigration officers in her courtroom last year.
U.S. District Judge Lynn Adelman sentenced Dugan after her December 2025 felony conviction for helping Eduardo Flores-Ruiz evade ICE agents on April 18, 2025. Adelman described the incident as a brief lapse by an otherwise law-abiding public servant.
Dugan, 67, addressed the court and said she acted to maintain courtroom decorum without malice. She noted the threats that forced her resignation in January and retreat from public life.
Prosecutors had argued the case required a serious sentence to uphold judicial accountability, though they did not specify a term. Dugan’s attorneys said she had already faced sufficient punishment through job loss and safety concerns.
Flores-Ruiz was later deported. Dugan plans to appeal the conviction.
