The moment the ICE agents walked into her courtroom, everything changed. Within minutes, a respected Milwaukee judge allegedly chose defiance over duty. Now she’s facing six years in prison, 28 witnesses against her, and a career already suspended in disgrace.
On a spring day in 2025, federal agents from ICE, the FBI, and the DEA walked into Judge Hannah Dugan’s Milwaukee courtroom with an administrative warrant for a man they say was in the country illegally.
What happened next is now the center of a high‑stakes federal trial: prosecutors claim Dugan directed the man out a side door, helping him evade arrest in her own courthouse. She insists she is innocent.
What happened next is now the center of a high‑stakes federal trial: prosecutors claim Dugan directed the man out a side door, helping him evade arrest in her own courthouse. She insists she is innocent.
Since her dramatic arrest by the FBI in April, Dugan has been suspended by the Wisconsin Supreme Court and publicly humiliated, yet she rejected a plea deal and pleaded not guilty. Prosecutors plan to call 28 witnesses, from law enforcement to courthouse staff, in a case steeped in immigration politics and public outrage.
Jury selection begins December 11, with opening statements set for December 15. If convicted, a once‑trusted judge could leave the bench in handcuffs.
