State of Justice: May Ethics Updates

Wisconsin Supreme Court suspends Judge Hannah Dugan 

Federal agents arrested Milwaukee County Judge Hannah Dugan in late April. Dugan was charged with obstruction of a federal agency and concealing a person to avoid arrest. The charges allege Dugan helped Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, an undocumented immigrant, escape arrest from ICE agents. Prosecutors claim Dugan directed agents away from her courtroom and helped Flores-Ruiz access a non-public entrance to leave the courthouse. While the criminal case against Dugan is ongoing, the Wisconsin Supreme Court suspended Dugan from her duties.  

The FBI and the Trump administration received widespread criticism following Dugan’s public arrest, which was documented and posted by FBI Director Kash Patel on X, calling it an overreach of the separation of powers. A bi-partisan group of former state and federal judges spoke out against the arrest in a letter to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi. Democratic representatives for Wisconsin also criticized the arrest in their own letter.