Judge Who Helped Violent Illegal Alien Evade ICE Faces New Test

An effort is underway to disbar a Wisconsin judge who took extraordinary steps to prevent Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents from detaining an illegal alien criminal. The nonpartisan Center to Advance Security in America (CASA) has filed a complaint with the Wisconsin Office of Lawyer Regulation, requesting former Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan’s disbarment.

The story hit the news last year when Dugan attempted to obstruct ICE agents as they sought to detain a dangerous individual who was present in the United States illegally.

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The founding fathers generally shared the opinion that it was laws, rather than people, that serve as the framework of civilized society. In the last century, the famed economist Ludwig von Mises espoused the same view, saying, “It is the rule of law alone which hinders the rulers from turning themselves into the worst gangsters.” But Democrat officeholders, despite their cries of “no one is above the law” when referring exclusively to President Donald Trump, do not believe or live by that adage.

Aiding an Illegal Alien Not Illegal?

Case in point, former Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan. In 2025, Dugan actively and intentionally (and she has never denied it) helped an illegal alien escape from a courtroom – and he had a history of violence, including three counts of battery, domestic abuse, and infliction of physical pain or injury. Dugan misdirected ICE officers who entered the courthouse to detain Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, after she had ushered the wanted illegal alien to a “jury door” out of the building.

Her attempt to shield a violent illegal alien criminal from capture, even though she was charged and convicted by a jury, was punished with a small fine and not one day in prison.

The illegal alien, whose escape from ICE she facilitated, was captured the same day after a brief chase.

Dugan has not only never denied her clearly illegal conduct, but has used it to gain her 15 minutes of fame. CASA director of research and policy, Curtis Schube, wrote in a letter to state officials:

“Dugan has spoken before media outlets defending her actions, claiming no wrongdoing, and asserting that her internal sense of justice should prevail. Dugan claims that the only reason she is no longer a Judge is because of ‘Republicans.’”

So, Dugan’s political biases and motivations are not open to debate – which alone would, in a sane world, disqualify her from holding a judgeship. While privately practicing attorneys are as entitled as anyone else to their personal political philosophy, there is no blind justice when judges are putting politics ahead of the implementation of established laws.

Yet, in Wisconsin, a judge who has been convicted of a felony is still permitted to practice law as a profession. “Due to the seriousness of the crime for which Dugan was convicted and its relation to her position as a trusted state judge and as a lawyer,” Schube wrote, “the Wisconsin State Bar should impose the harshest possible disciplinary action, including disbarment, on Hannah C. Dugan.”

If no one is above the law, then that should surely apply doubly to those who have been appointed or elected to administer justice in accordance with it.