Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: What to know about Hannah Dugan, the Milwaukee judge arrested amid ICE investigation on 4/25

[Dennis Donovan]

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel - What to know about Hannah Dugan, the Milwaukee judge arrested amid ICE investigation on April 25

Chris Ramirez
Cailey Gleeson
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
April 25, 2025

/snip/

Here's what to know about Dugan and her arrest:

Where was Dugan arrested?
Brady McCarron, spokesman for U.S. Marshals Service in Washington, D.C., confirmed Dugan was arrested at about 8 a.m. April 24 at the Milwaukee County Courthouse and is in federal custody.

What is Dugan's legal experience?
Dugan has spent a large swath of her career working for the poor and vulnerable, first with legal aid organizations and then as executive director of Catholic Charities.

Dugan also has been active in professional organizations, and referees attorney discipline cases brought by the Office of Lawyer Regulation.



Dugan, a former Milwaukee Bar Association president, was elected to Branch 31 of the Circuit Court in 2016, defeating incumbent Paul Rifelj, an appointee of then-Gov. Scott Walker. She primarily oversees cases in its misdemeanor division.

/snip

[Quiet Em]

1. The FBI arresting Judges is crossing a huge line

This administration has gone too far this time.

[dutch777]

5. Good way to tick off all judges everywhere. Suspect this will be dismissed as hard to prove intent vs.

...that she didn't know exactly where target was and accidently misled ICE.

[LauraInLA]

8. Interestingly, I'd forgotten they did this the last time around with a judge in Massachusetts. Disgusting.

[Vinca]

2. Let's hope this is thrown out in a nanosecond.

[Nevilledog]

3. Here's the affidavit. IF true, it's not good for the judge. Big IF though with these fascists

https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.wied.111629/gov.uscourts.wied.111629.1.0.pdf

[Cirsium]

7. That report is BS

"Judge DUGAN stated that Deportation Officer A needed a judicial warrant."

End of story.

[tornado34jh]

9. It might not look good for the judge, but something doesn't make sense to me.

Let me clear, I am very suspicious of the FBI/ICE under this administration, but there are questions that still don't make sense. First, if Eduardo Flores-Ruiz was still due for a pending pretrial healing, why do it now? Did they not know he had a pretrial hearing? The victims were in court, so why would FBI/ICE do it while he was still pending a hearing? I mean, they should have told the chief judge or whoever that there was a warrant for his arrest in advance. I can see why she would be upset because this wasn't told to them before the courtroom opened, and the judge had him on the docket.

Second, was he arrested prior to this hearing (i.e. before the ICE/FBI arrived)? It sounds like he was facing serious allegations of battery, domestic abuse, etc. Unless he wasn't arrested prior, that seems odd that he wasn't in jail. If that is the case, that sounds like there were errors on the part of the local police.

I'm not a lawyer, but it's my understanding that an administrative warrant does not mean you can enter a place where you expect privacy, such as a courtroom, without consent. In other words, even if ICE were to have a warrant for his arrest, you can't enter the place without the consent. If it was a judicial warrant, then that would be different. So ICE still is in the wrong here, they didn't have a judicial warrant, which is very different.

[Falcon101]

12. No empathy for the Judge

ICE had an administrative warrant, which requires them to take the person before an Immigration Judge (administrative court oversight). The warrant allows them to arrest in any public place. The agents worked with the court security and the plan was to arrest him after the hearing in the hallway (public place). The Judge knew of this situation and went out of her way to get the person to escape. In fact, the Judge did not even hold the hearing on the state charges which screwed the state prosecutor because the prosecutor had the witnesses there for the hearing. I have to take the side of the U.S. Attorney's Office and FBI on this one-the Judge went beyond the normal course of duties to make sure the subject avoided a legal warrant. In fact, it looks like the public defender accompanied and assisted the client in escaping which is a major no no for an attorney.

[tornado34jh]

13. Did he have his hearing? The affidavit isn't clear if he did.

Now, if he did have it, and the judge/attorney did give him a leeway to escape after the hearing was done, then yes, she is in big trouble. But my big question is, was he arrested prior to this hearing? Apparently he had serious allegations. I don't think such allegations would have not seen him arrested. Does the affidavit state that he was in custody prior to the hearing? If he wasn't, then that is the fault of the local/state police.

[bronxiteforever]

14. I will wait for the trial. I don't trust Pam Bondi

but I trust the jury system.

[SunSeeker]

17. The judge is not required to assist in the enforcement of an administrative warrant.

It appears the defendant's attorney asked to leave out of a side door with the defendant and Judge Dugan let them. How is that a crime?

[GusBob]

20. Wait, what?

What were the allegations? Perhaps she knew there was a resolution in the matter?

Very curious

[tornado34jh]

22. I don't know, but this whole thing is very fishy.

There seems like there was a complete breakdown in communication. The person that they were arresting, Eduardo Flores-Luiz, was already due for a pre-trial hearing unrelated to FBI/ICE. But again, as I understand it, ICE/FBI didn't have a judicial warrant. An administrative warrant means you can't go enter a place where there is reasonable expectation of privacy, such as a courtroom, without consent. Also, there are still no answers as to whether or not he was arrested prior to his pre-trail hearing. He was facing battery, domestic abuse, physical harm charges. Very serious charges. Unless he posted bail, I have a hard time believing that he wasn't in custody and in jail while awaiting a hearing. If he wasn't arrested, then that is the fault of the local/state police. The victims families were in court, so I got the impression he was still awaiting a hearing.

But again, I need to see proof that she allegedly did was she was accused for. To me, this all seems like hearsay from ICE/FBI.

[GusBob]

23. Yes I read the affidavit

It mentions victims, plural. And no he never appeared before the judge on the matter.

And the witnesses to the incident in the courtroom were all in there , a deputy, a asst. DA, a translator it seems

The very curious part is when one of the public defenders, its claimed, took a pic of the Fed agents while in the hallway, but she missed one

What was a DEA agent doing there

[tornado34jh]

31. The DEA, I don't know

Maybe there were drugs? I don't know, but this whole thing just seems really fishy. So again, if he was not arrested prior to this, isn't that the fault of the local/state police? For the allegations he was facing in the pre-trial hearing, I just find it strange how he wasn't arrested unless he had bail. I'm not sure about the public defender supposedly taking pictures, but I feel there is more to the start than is being let on. Still, I am very skeptical of this. It was the head of the FBI, a person who supported the insurrection, that ordered the judge arrested.

[SunSeeker]

25. Per NBC, all 3 charges against him were misdemeanors.

Last edited Fri Apr 25, 2025, 04:34 PM - Edit history (1)

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/justice-department/fbi-arrests-milwaukee-judge-alleging-interfered-immigration-operation-rcna203006

I sat on a jury about a year ago for a domestic battery case. It was a misdemeanor charge. The woman received no visible injuries. But she testified he did touch her (he grabbed her and pinned her against a wall) and that counted as a battery. We convicted the guy on the misdemeanor and he got the maximum: 6 months in jail.

[sop]

10. I read the affidavit. I agree, it looks like the judge is in trouble.

The judge, knowing federal agents had a warrant and were waiting to make an arrest, instructed the man to go out a side door to elude the agents, but he was apprehended after a brief foot chase.

[SunSeeker]

15. It was an administrative warrant, nor a judicial warrant. nt

[sop]

21. The affidavit:

Deportation Officer A stated it was in a public space and the administrative warrant was valid. The affidavit is relying on Deportation Officer A's assertion the administrative warrant was valid. Was a judicial warrant required?

[SunSeeker]

24. A judicial warrant is required to enter and arrest someone in a private space, like a home or a closed court hearing.

Administrative warrants are generally for regulatory inspections, compliance checks, and other non-criminal purposes. Judicial warrants are for law enforcement actions, including searches and arrests related to criminal investigations. Administrative warrants are typically issued by an agency, while judicial warrants are issued by a court. Administrative warrants often require a lower standard of probable cause than judicial warrants. It is not reviewed by a judge and does not authorize entry into private spaces. ICE often uses administrative warrants for immigration enforcement actions, which do not authorize entry into private spaces. A judicial warrant signed by a judge is required for entering private areas where individuals have a reasonable expectation of privacy. 
https://www.ilrc.org/sites/default/files/resources/ice_warrants_summary.pdf

[Ponietz]

16. Factz schmakz -- my ignorance is just as important as your knowledge

directed towards the shitinternet deluge of uninformed opinions.
If the judge helped the perp escape ICE holding a valid administrative warrant she fucked up big time. For 30+ years they’ve arrested undocumented perps at southern New Mexico courthouses. Now they’re doing so nationwide.

[SunSeeker]

18. It appears the defendant's attorney asked to leave out of a side door with the defendant and Judge Dugan let them.

How is that a crime, counsel?

[moniss]

26. I think they are trying to go way beyond here because

she did not provide him some "secret way out of the courthouse" so he could evade the arrest team. The affidavit clearly states that the man in question and his lawyer were back in the public hallway and were followed by team members down the hall to the elevator and in fact one member was on the elevator with the man. They could have arrested him in the hallway or on the elevator. It sounds like they fumbled around and a few of the others went charging towards the man and he ran.

I also question this description of the phone call with the Chief Judge because they're on the phone for a considerable time yet the affidavit describes conversation that could take place in less than 2 minutes. The affiant says the agents said why they were there, the judge said he was working on a policy and the agents gave him some contact info. They were talking for a whole lot longer than that.

I don't find it unusual that a judge doesn't want a controversy and disruption to litigants and witnesses right outside the entrance doors to her court. So she escorted the man and his attorney back to a location that is down the hall from those doors and she did so through the path mentioned. She didn't "hide" him etc.

The only thing of note to me is when the affidavit says the attorney for the state didn't know about the case being continued. Is that real or not we don't know. I do have some problems with what looks like heavy reliance on the courtroom deputy saying he "thinks" this or that but wasn't really there by the clerk's side.

There have been major gaffes by the local Milwaukee ICE and FBI over some of these arrests and it sounds to me more like they want to resurrect their image here and score some points back in DC. ICE could have gone to the man's residence the day before and arrested him. It sounds to me like the Chief Judge had not wanted these things taking place in the courthouse until he had a policy in place. That to me makes perfect sense especially because ICE can effect these arrests at other locations and they do all the time. It is quite likely the Chief Judge had told the other judges he didn't want these arrests taking place in the courthouse until there was a policy in place. The County could be liable for not having a policy if ICE goes to make an arrest and something goes wrong and innocent bystanders are hurt. While a courthouse is open to the public as a matter of course the Chief Judge is responsible for policy regarding everything that takes place in that building. Not just in the courtrooms but also in the public areas.

By the fact that Dugan told them they needed to speak to the Chief Judge tells me there is a whole lot more here than the self serving write-up in the affidavit. I think because the other judge that was with Dugan was also not having this it tells me that behind the scenes after the prior gaffes there was communication and probably assurances given that ICE would not be disruptive to court proceedings. Having about 6 guys with guns hanging around outside the courtroom doors is probably quite intimidating to litigants and witnesses in other cases going in and out of the doors of that courtroom or others nearby.

Remember that ICE got major egg on their face just a couple of weeks ago for grabbing and holding people who were actually US citizens who were born in Puerto Rico. The ICE agents heard them speaking Spanish and that was good enough for them. This area, in fact most of Wisconsin, is racist as hell.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/ice-says-sorry-after-detaining-us-citizens-for-speaking-spanish-report/ar-AA1y5uOh

[Frasier Balzov]

4. She isn't as superficially pretty as Kristi Noem.

So Trump's wager is that the People will be behind him on this judge's arrest.

[Scalded Nun]

6. Tin foil hat time

This could have been planned/set up to test the fallout with Trump out of the country (if the shit really hits the fan, then "Hey! I know nothing of that" ).

[tornado34jh]

11. Administrative warrant is not the same as a judicial warrant

I'm not an attorney/lawyer, but from what I understand, an administrative warrant does not mean you can enter private places or where there is an expectation of privacy, without consent. In other words, ICE could not enter the building without consent. They would need a judicial warrant, which is completely different. So the judge was correct in questioning why they were there, when there was no judicial warrant. Even if they did have a warrant for his arrest, he already was due for a pretrial hearing and the victims were in court, so why do it then? I can understand why the judge would be upset because she wasn't expecting them. But again, was he arrested before this hearing? That's a big question I would ask. He had serious allegations. If he wasn't, that falls on the local/state police.

[orangecrush]

19. Catholic Charities

"Dugan has spent a large swath of her career working for the poor and vulnerable, first with legal aid organizations and then as executive director of Catholic Charities."

https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2025/01/29/white-house-trump-strip-funds-catholic-charities-249802

She was the perfect target for them, and I believe this was planned out long before this happened.

[Kid Berwyn]

27. I'd rather be with her than stand with the likes of Ka$h Patel.

She is a hero.

They are zeroes, AKA traitors.

[Doodley]

28. The FBI director announced it (then deleted) on Twitter. Yes Twitter. That is how FBI announced this.

Since when has Twitter been the official means of communication by the FBI to the public? That tells us everything we need to know.

[Dennis Donovan]

30. Bradley P. Moss: So to sum up the Wisconsin arrest issue:

Bradley P. Moss
‪@bradmossesq.bsky.social‬
So to sum up the Wisconsin arrest issue:

ICE didn't have a juridical warrant. They only had an administrative warrant.

The DOJ has not convened a grand jury to indict the judge. They only got a criminal complaint before a magistrate judge.

This is ridiculous.
April 25, 2025 at 1:09 PM

https://bsky.app/profile/bradmossesq.bsky.social/post/3lnnpmlfdy22v

[Lokee11]

32. Flaws pointed out by Ann Jacobs

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100220269277

[Lokee11]

33. Other thread with info from Ann Jacobs

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100220269277