A jury in Milwaukee this week proved that it takes more than a robe to act like a judge. On Thursday, Judge Hannah Dugan was found guilty of the most serious count brought against her in a case that captivated many in the nation. Dugan famously told a fellow judge to wear her robe in the hallway to confront federal officers seeking to arrest a suspect.
A jury found Dugan guilty of obstruction in helping an illegal migrant evade arrest by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers. She was acquitted of the misdemeanor charge of concealing Flores Ruiz.
Judge Dugan was lionized by the left, including attorneys and politicians, for her effort to facilitate the escape of Eduardo Flores-Ruiz. She had a prominent legal team, including former Solicitor General Paul Clement and former U.S. Attorney Steve Biskupic. Retired Supreme Court Justice Janine Geske agreed to be the trustee over a large defense fund.
This week, we discussed how Dugan’s colleague Judge Kristela Cervera delivered a heavy blow to her defense in testifying how Dugan pulled her into the dispute with the agents and how she acted improperly in the matter.
Cervera said that Dugan specifically told her to keep her robe on and that she was reluctant to do so: “I didn’t want to walk in the hallway with my robe on.” Dugan, however, allegedly wanted the agents to see them in their robes as a sign of authority.
She said that the agent remained respectful but that Dugan was getting upset in the confrontation: “Her irritation seemed to progress to anger. I thought she could have been a little more diplomatic.”
That coincides with the testimony of FBI Special Agent Jeffrey Baker, who stated, “I would say angry is the best way to describe it.”
Likewise, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer Joseph Zuraw stated that Dugan ordered him to “get out” of the public hallway and told him to go to the chief judge’s office. She then allegedly helped the suspect escape through a side door.
Cervera also testified that she was “shocked” by Dugan’s later conduct and that “judges should not be helping defendants evade arrest.” She added, “I was mortified. I thought that someone may think that I was part of some of what happened.”
Cervera said she was shocked by attorneys praising her for helping Flores-Ruiz escape. She described attorneys pumping their fists and telling her, “You go, Judge,” and saying, “Judge, you’re ‘goated’ now.”
She said that she avoided Dugan but ran into her in an elevator. She noted that Cervera told her she was “in the dog house” with the Chief Judge for trying to help Flores-Ruiz.
Cervera delivered a particularly devastating line before the jury in stating categorically that “Judges shouldn’t help criminal defendants evade arrest.”
The testimony supported the allegation that Dugan knowingly sought to help Flores-Ruiz and that her actions were outside her role as a judge in the courthouse.
We discussed how Dugan could not have had a better jury pool in the liberal district or a more fortunate choice as presiding judge. Indeed, I previously wrote that it would take jury nullification to acquit Dugan on the strong case against her. If that was the strategy, it collapsed under the testimony of Cervera and others.
Her fate may have been set by her decision not to testify. For jurors, the incongruity was likely unavoidable. If she was acting in furtherance of her judicial duties, why wouldn’t she explain her actions directly to the jurors? She clearly has a right to remain silent and prosecutors cannot use that silence against her. However, jurors likely found the silence deafening.
It may also have reflected how damning the evidence was against her. If she took the stand, she would have been forced to address glaring inconsistencies in her position as well as public comments that she made before trial.
I previously wrote about my surprise that she posted a videotape statement on her actions and how she was the champion for the rule of law. The statement included assertions that she would send defendants through the door whenever she felt it was warranted.
The jury did not agree with Democratic politicians and pundits who heralded her actions. MSNOW regular Norm Eisen and the executive chair of Democracy Defenders Fund declared, “this case is a five-alarm fire for our democracy and one of its foundations: judicial independence. Prosecuting a judge for how she runs her courtroom is outrageous and unlawful.”
Abbe Lowell, who represented Hunter Biden, declared
“Judge Dugan’s arrest and prosecution are a blatant attack on judicial independence. By targeting a state judge for her courtroom management, this Administration is signaling its alarming willingness to coerce state courts into executing its federal immigration agenda – an unacceptable assault on federalism and a grave threat to the public’s trust in our court system. Protecting judges from such intimidation is paramount to upholding the rule of law for every American.”
Monica Isham, a circuit judge in Sawyer County, not only defended Judge Hannah Dugan in an email to other state judges but added that she “has no intention of allowing anyone to be taken out of my courtroom by [Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents] and sent to a concentration camp.”
Dozens of judges signed statements in support of Dugan, including Judge Michael Luttig, U.S. Circuit Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit (Ret.).
I strongly disagreed with those views, excusing the clearly injudicious and unlawful conduct of Judge Dugan.
Ultimately, Judge Lynn Adelman, a liberal long-standing jurist on the court, rejected half-baked arguments of judicial immunity in such actions. Twelve jurors in Milwaukee then rejected all of the atmospherics and bluster in ruling according to the law. They did what Dugan did not: they followed the rule of law rather than any personal or political impulse.
Dugan’s conviction of a felony only reinforces the outrage over the Biden Administration dropping charges against Massachusetts Judge Shelley Joseph who, in November, was given simply a mere reprimand by the bar in a similar case.
Dugan could now face up to five years in prison, though such a sentence is highly unlikely in her case.
The prosecutor and victims of Flores-Ruiz’s alleged crimes were sitting in the courtroom at the time Judge Duggan committed a federal offense. Not only did she commit the felony she was charged with, she perpetrated a mockery of justice toward the other participants in the proceeding that was supposed to be taking place in her courtroom. As for the politicized statements of the left-wing groups and individuals supporting her actions, as quoted above, all of them start with the false premise that she was charged for the way she “ran her courtroom.” The offending conduct did not take place in her courtroom, so those criticisms fall flat.
Being convicted of a felony, there is little doubt the Wisconsin Supreme Court will permanently remove her from the bench and she will be disbarred.
Removed, disbarred, and sadly, allowed to keep her taxpayer-funded pension. Would have been nice if we could have seen the newly-convicted meet some of the cellmates she put away, but that’s not likely. She’ll be allowed to retire after her probation – again, at taxpayers expense. Wisconsinites deserve better ‘justice’.
Lois Lerner
Oh she’ll be fine, she always has … her looks to fall back on.
Looks like she already fell and landed on her back…right out of the ugly tree and hit every branch on the way down.
Speaking of “attacks on our democracy”, we should recall that Judge Luttig, along with Prof. Tribe, tried to persuade state authorities to bar Donald Trump from the Presidential ballot due to the riot at the Capitol on 1/6/21. They were unsuccessful, and later more than 77 million people voted for Trump and elected him President. God save us from the defenders of democracy.
Judge Michael Luttig used to be a very sharp, stick-to-the-law kind of judge. Now he promotes lawlessness and politicized court decisions. Sadly, he is a lost soul.
*. Congrats to the voters who were able to see the injustice of DJT treatment. The voters voted for justice imo, Edward mahler. I think it’s called righteous indignation not to be confused with self-rightous indignation.
“most” is a superlative. For her to be convicted of the “most serious count”, there should’ve been at least three counts.
MOST LIKELY SHE WILL BE REMOVED FROM THE BENCH, AND DISBARRED WITH A 5 YEARS OF PROBATION… WHAT LEGAL FOLKS GET FROM LEGAL FOLKS… EVEN IF NO ONE IS ABOVE THE LAW.
Ghislaine Maxwell Asks Court To Overturn Convictions, Citing ‘Newly Discovered Evidence’
The petition states that Maxwell is raising “nine principal grounds for relief,” and that each ground is backed by newly discovered or previously suppressed evidence. …
“Since the conclusion of her trial, substantial new evidence has emerged from related civil actions, Government disclosures, investigative reports, and documents demonstrating constitutional violations that undermined the fairness of her proceedings,” the petition says.
“This newly available evidence—derived from litigation against the Federal Bureau of Investigation, various financial institutions, and the Estate of Jeffrey Epstein, as well as from sworn depositions, released records, and other verified sources—shows that exculpatory information was withheld, false testimony presented, and material facts misrepresented to the jury and the Court,” the petition says.
By: Tyler Durden ~ Dec 18, 2025
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/ghislaine-maxwell-asks-court-overturn-convictions-citing-newly-discovered-evidence
Maxwell’s petition to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York .PDF:
https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.nysd.539612/gov.uscourts.nysd.539612.821.1_7.pdf
Epstein files to be released after months of delays from Trump officials
Huge archive – set to shed fresh light on Epstein’s misdeeds – legally obliged to be released before midnight deadline
By: Robert Tait (Washington) – The Guardian ~ Fri 19 Dec 2025
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/dec/19/epstein-files-release-doj-december-deadline
The 4th & 5th Amendment provides Due Process of Law.
Given the circumstances of the current affairs, it is ‘WE the People’ that are being denied the Due Process of Law.
When the actions of Government Officials former and current, Liaisons of Governmental Influence Foreign and Domestic, Media, PACs, Wall Street, Banks and Wealthy Individuals are not brought to Justice, on their actions that contravene the Constitutional rules of our Social Contract … then … WE are being denied the Due Process of Law.
Very Few People ‘Get That’. George Gets it, MTG Gets it, I hope Jonathan Gets it, we mustn’t forget that it is Our responsibility to govern the Government. ‘D.C.’ is not a Democracy of the People. It has been corrupted, augmented and maligned into a distorted illusion. The reality is We are not a Constitutional Democracy, we are but one that has become entrapped and indentured by a Kabbala of hidden powers that we antiseptically call the Deep State.
We must persist on revelations that expose the this Kabbala, and free the Union from it’s grip and return to our Foundations of Freedom to restore Democracy.
Release Everything Epstein unredacted
Release Everything Comey unredacted
Release Everything Brennen unredacted
Release Everything Wray unredacted
Release Everything Clinton unredacted
Release Everything ‘It All’ unredacted
It’s Snowden Time
It’s Assange Time
It’s Winner Time
It’s Greenwald Time
It’s Tice Time
It’s Tamm Time
It’s OUR Time !
To see what Our Democracy really is unredacted
…
Finally, one prog/dem fanatic smacked upside the head with the Rule of Law. Now we need thousands more, included elected politicians at all levels and bureaucrats who aid and abet.
I could not be prouder that the judicial system worked in this case. It is one thing for some poor hungra kid to be convicted of shoplifting. It is quite another to convict a judge who knows the law and just outright violated it for political reasons.
Well that was mildly surprising. It appears the evidence was in fact overwhelming enough to convince the jury to return a guilty verdict. Law and order prevailed.
Watching the reactions and comments from Dugan’s fellow activist judges and pundits tells us all we need to know: The leftist Democrat party is the party of lawlessness.
Based of the testimony, this had nothing to do with judicial independence, or her courtroom management. As seen in the picture and by testimony occurred in the hallway, a public area.
Honestly I think this was a defense failure. This superstar team blew it.
The actual evidence was damning – far more so than I had expected.
Her actions were clearly an act of Civil Disobedience.
If she wanted to get Jury Nullification – you need to Own the Civil Disobedience.
The defense she chose was confusion about policies.
That did not fly – DOJ did an excellent job of pointing out that what little policy confusion there was did not allow Dugan’s actions and were a Local issue = not having anything to do with actual law.
You can not violate Federal law because local polices are not settled.
Regardless, they did not make the argument to the Jury for Jury Nullification.
Thank you for reminding us of the attorneys who defended Dugan’s actions or agreed to represent her, including conservative Paul Clement. I would be interested in knowing his motivation for surely it wasn’t money.
Please lets not attack Lawyers for who they represent.
Everyone is entitled to the best lawyers they can get.
Famous defense attorney Gerry Spence said one of his great regrets was choosinng not to defend Timothy McVeigh.
Dugan lost with an excellent team. She can not claim error on the part of her lawyers.
The sentence is almost beside the point. The real win is that a jury in a sympathetic district still upheld the rule of law. That’s a healthy sign for the system.
A healthy sign for a system with Stage 4 (IV) Cancer!
I’m not really shocked that she was convicted. The common people sitting on the jury be they on left or on right recognize when the law is broken by an elitist snob. My guess is that as a result of this trial a few of the jury members will be changing their party affiliation after seeing the effects of Woke in action. Thank you judge for your contribution to the Republican Party.
You may not be shocked, TiT, but I am. I’m quite shocked that the people of Milwaukee had enough common sense to convict Hannah Dugan in what was as clear as day a case of obstruction. I guess it’s something the people of Portland could learn a thing from the people of Milwaukee. After all, a Portland jury acquitted a black homeless man, Gary Edwards, of second-degree assault with a knife. The reason for the acquittal, Edwards’ victim, Gregory A. Howard Jr., called Edwards the N-word after being stabbed by his assailant. 🤦♂️
https://www.oregonlive.com/crime/2025/12/use-of-racist-slur-by-wounded-man-in-portlands-old-town-stabbing-spurs-jury-to-acquit.html
Don’t worry Old Hag Dugan The Convict will get probation and not even have community service! The Black Robe Country Club members will make sure this ends up as a Nothing Burger and won’t even try to disbar her for a Federal Felony conviction. She may have to give up the easy money judgeship unless The Peoples Democratic Union of Milwaukee decides to make it feasible for for Federal Criminals to serve as judges in their communist stronghold!
“5 years later that is water under the Chappaquiddick bridge.”
Is it really, though? If sufficient objective and conclusive evidence can be demonstrated that the proclaimed result of the 2020 Presidential election was in error, it would imo add a great deal of moral, if not legal, authority to the autopen debacle in supporting the idea that any and all executive actions taken on Joe Biden’s watch should be disregarded.
I hope this conviction means she is no longer a judge?
Dugan is just another in a long line of goofy female jurists who hate Trump and love abortion above all else. I too was shocked to see that Paul Clement agreed to represent her. Money does indeed talk.
That legal defense fund needed to be spent on only the best….or most expensive.
Send Hannah to El Salvador!
So WHY would 5 years in prison be unlikely in her case? If that would be the expected result if the “little people” were charged in such a case, why not here. What happened to the lefts mantra “no one is above the law”.
Because she’s special.
/sarc
🙂 Only when it applies to the other side of the field
Merry Christmas to you and yours
All people are created equal, only some are more equal than others.
Because 5 years is the MAX sentence – that is typically reserved for people with a criminal record, not first offenders.
Her big sentencing problem is this was premeditated. That is an aggravating factor.
Better yet the DC gulag where J6 Patriots were tortured.
FREE Derek Chauvin
Cervera was all over it too, standing there in her robe, intimidating like a mobster. Conspiring along with dugan. She turned state’s evidence to save herself so, pretending to be appalled with the behavior she went right along with. this case is already getting judges to straighten up and fly right. Cervera is just the first.
She had the opportunity at any time that day to end dugan’s crime. Her ‘judgement’ is seriously in question now.
From the actual testimony – it is clear that NUMEROUS witnesses who made it clear they were anti-ICE,
Where repeatedly testifying “I had nothing to do with this, do not blame me, there was no conspiracy here, this was all Dugan acting alone”
Theree was no formal conspiracy but I agree many of the self serving statements were spin – not fact.
But DOJ is not complaining. They got what they needed from witnesses that could have been problems.
Last sentence: “Dugan could not face up to five years in prison, though such a sentence is highly unlikely in her case.” Suggest you remove the “not”.
Not sure if it has been edited since your comment but it reads “could now face up to five years in prison”. Not to worry, I do the same thing some times and have to go back and reread several times.
Yep. edit. “now” to “not”. I also do that a lot (or spell check does it for me). Hence I noticed.
OT: Fulton county has now admitted that at least 315,000 votes were illegally counted in 2020. Biden’s margin in Georgia was less than 12,000 votes. It looks like Trump was justified in saying that it would be easy to find 12,000 unlawfully counted votes.
5 years later that is water under the Chappaquiddick bridge. What matters is will Georgia be able to prevent Fulton County from doing it again if the 2026 or 2028 elections are held during a pandemic?
andrewp111 wrote: “5 years later that is water under the Chappaquiddick bridge.”
Is it really, though? If sufficient objective and conclusive evidence can be demonstrated that the proclaimed result of the 2020 Presidential election was in error, it would imo add a great deal of moral, if not legal, authority to the autopen debacle in supporting the idea that any and all executive actions taken on Joe Biden’s watch should be disregarded.
Would I be wrong in thinking it would be a constitutional crisis at the least?
Chappaquiddick. Neil Armstrong was lucky, he wasn’t here when Teddy drove off the bridge.
Which means Trump likely could have won Fulton County. Do you think, perhaps Brad Raffensperger knew there was some cheating going on in his State? You know like water pipes bursting almost like it was on cue, locking out election observers, taping cardboard over the windows, and dragging out suit cases of ballots. But… none of that is unusual during elections though…right?
In case anyone thinks that the allegation or source is fuzzy:
Fulton County’s attorney Ann Brumbaugh stated, “We don’t dispute the allegation” that ~315,000 early votes were certified without required poll worker signatures on tabulator tapes, violating Georgia law.”
So much for “the most secure election in US history.”
The allegation that these 315,000 votes were counted “ILLEGALLY” is completely bogus and debunked.
This was simply a clerical error by poll workers who failed to sign tabulator tapes at the end of each voting day, as you correctly state.
There were subsequent multiple audits of the vote count, including a hand count of EVERY SINGLE VOTE, which all confirmed the accuracy of the count.
The courts have always held that clerical errors by poll workers can never invalidate the underlying votes if they are otherwise legally cast.
It would be absurd if simple clerical errors could invalidate otherwise legally cast votes.
This would leave the door open for nefarious poll workers to sabotage the vote count by deliberately failing to comply with clerical procedures.
“The allegation that these 315,000 votes were counted “ILLEGALLY” is completely bogus and debunked.”
Apparently, you missed this part of the Fulton County attorney’s quote:
“. . . violating Georgia law.”
It is a technical violation that carries no penalty.
As I stated, the courts have always held that an otherwise legally cast vote can NEVER be invalidated by a clerical error on the part of a poll worker.
This would be a completely absurd situation where nefarious poll workers could deliberately sabotage the vote.
The only issue is whether the votes were otherwise legally cast. There were multiple audits, including a hand count of EVERY SINGLE VOTE verifying that only legally cast votes were counted, notwithstanding the clerical errors.
I repeat, it would be utterly absurd if otherwise legally cast votes could be invalidated by clerical errors by poll workers. The courts have always held that voters who legally cast votes can NEVER be disenfranchised by clerical errors that are no fault of their own.
This is a completely bogus MAGA talking point
“This is a completely bogus MAGA talking point”
Fulton County attorney Ann Brumbaugh is a *democrat*.
Keep digging. Pretty soon, you’ll drown out your own voice.
So, what exactly is your point here.
Are you saying that the fact that the Fulton County attorney is a *democrat* somehow means that clerical errors by poll workers can invalidate otherwise legally cast votes???
What exactly is the logic of your statement ????
You seem to imply that an investigation is required here.
Any investigation needs to start with the motivation of the poll workers who failed to sign the tabulator tapes.
Perhaps they were acting maliciously to sabotage the election.
You do not seem to understand that clerical errors by poll workers cannot be a basis to invalidate otherwise legally cast votes.
You are an ignorant MAGA moron.
https://thefederalist.com/2025/12/17/fulton-county-we-dont-dispute-315000-votes-lacking-poll-workers-signatures-were-counted-in-2020/