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.
Forget Judge Dugan.
Trump Keeps Pardoning Frauds
At least 20 people who have received clemency from Trump so far this year — cutting their sentence short, restoring their civil rights after imprisonment or allowing them to avoid prison altogether — were also forgiven of financial penalties totaling tens of millions of dollars.
In other cases where Trump granted clemency, the federal government was the main victim. Paul Walczak, a health care executive and convicted tax cheat, was sentenced in April to 18 months in prison and ordered to pay over $4 million to the Internal Revenue Service. Walczak had pleaded guilty to tax crimes and agreed to pay restitution to the IRS, according to court filings. His pardon came through just 12 days after his sentencing, relieving him of his financial obligations and sparing him from going to prison.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/12/19/donald-trump-pardons-trevor-milton-nikola/
…………………………………………
Here we have a president, convicted of multiple frauds, who keeps pardoning frauds. Trump is, in effect, opening cells to let criminals out. How is he any different than Judge Dugan?
Here’s a complete record of Trump pardons in 2025. A lot of frauds here; kindred spirits to Trump.
https://www.justice.gov/pardon/clemency-grants-president-donald-j-trump-2025-present
Thanks. Good to see how much Trump has helped people deserving of his help. God bless Donald Trump!
Search Assist
President Biden granted a total of 80 pardons during his four-year tenure, along with 4,165 commutations, making for a total of 4,245 acts of clemency. This number is the highest for any president in recorded history. HIGHEST IN RECORDED HISTORY!!!!! HEY ANON READ THIS AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
KINDRED SPIRITS TO DEM JOE BIDEN/ADMINISTRATION??? HUH ANON???? 4,245 ACTS OF CLEMENCY!!!!!!!
What’s worse is the blanket immunity provided to people without any charges against them. No one has questioned it. Preventive immunity is not a pardon. Absurd..
Why not just pardon an entire Cadre of people at the beginning of a presidential term or a governor can also and then turn them loose to commit crime.
And so many with the autopen when he was a complete vegetable. Hmmm….just exactly how valid are these puppet briben auto pen abuses by staff.
Remember Judge Dugan. She is a great lesson in abuse of power. She doesn’t have the power to let illegals evade arrest and has been punished.
Forget Trump, he has the power to do what he is doing and voters gave it to him. big difference.
*. Dugan could be charged with treason, aiding and abetting a foreign power to overthrow the government and conspiracy as can others of her ilk. The nation’s of origin should be on notice of such and the illegals additionally charged with sedition.
Look! A Squirrel!
Just when I was beginning to lose faith in the ability of our courts and juries to administer justice in a fair and impartial manner, devoid of personal political biases, the judge and jury in this matter rekindled my faith. I don’t care what your politics are, what this judge did was wrong and a threat to the rule of law. No, I don’t think she should go to jail. But she does need to carry the stain of conviction. Alas, now watch her turn her disgrace into a small fortune as she assumes the mantle of a martyr. There will be no shortage of willing useful idiots standing ready to see to it. MSNOW’s next media darling. Shame on her and them.
She’s supposedly been given an ultimatum to either resign or be impeached.
resignation version guarantees this criminal state pension.
I was pleasantly surprised. I was pretty sure there would at least one person who would choose politics instead of evidence. I don’t even know where people could say that this had anything to do with “running her court room.” Were we supposed to believe that where ever she goes becomes her court room if she is wearing the robe? Is she OK to rob a bank as long as she has the robe on? The circuit court judge that defended her and said 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.” should resign. First, she is implying ICE was there to remove someone from the court room which was not the case. They were going to apprehend when he came out. then she added the “concentration camp,” part. It’s ridiculous and how could any conservative citizen ever get a fair trial in her court room..?
*. It’s a self rightous belief. The belief is the immigration laws are immoral and unethical. It’s a belief that no one legal or illegal should be deported for any reason.
It’s self rightous and not rightous because they don’t care what anyone else thinks. They also think the opposition are immoral and ethical people.
It’s irrational. Dugan could just as easily have released kai the hatchet guy . Dugan is a loose cannon. A battered woman meant nothing sitting in court that day.
Bizarre
Now we’re finding out that the democrats were having the FBI investigate Kirstin Senima after she left the democrats and became an independent. What are friends for.
I believe that there’s a gigantic indictment coming soon. Something America has never seen before, something amazing. Something long overdue and necessary for Americans to regain trust in their government.
All the pieces are coming together, declassified documents, mountains of evidence.
Seditious conspiracy cover ups after leaving office do not fall under Presidential immunity…
It’s coming soon, just in time for midterms.
Yeah, it’s about time time biden pay for his crimes…
What crime is it when noncitizens stage and carry out a coup internally, domestically?
The components are in place and include what is well known as a judicial-coup and conspiracy. It’s across the federal government and included the DOJ in prevention of DJTs incumbent presidency. Ms. Dugan may be charged with such as treason and sedition and Venezuela is on notice as a foreign actor among other nations.
You are so right. They were allowed to make a giant mess identifying every last traitor.
Bravo repubs! Smoke em if ya gottem. 💨
All you cynics who predicted the Jury would nullify — because, well — Milwaukee.
What do you say now? Your lack of confidence in our legal system design is duly noted — and called out as too neurotic, too “can’t do”, too defeatist. Anybody willing to say they were wrong?
(I think JT hinted at one point, he didn’t trust the Jury to objectively decide the case.)
Trumplicans believe everyone is a morally corrupt as they are.
pity reply …
Go abort a baby
“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.”
Abbe Lowell making a “states rights” argument to defend Dugan is rich indeed.
-g
States rights only apply to Republicans.
-Republicans.
The scope of the federal govenrment is defined by the constitution.
Everything not within the scope of the federal govenrment belongs to the states and the people.
Amendment X
“The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.”
Borders and immigration are an enumerated federal power. It is outside the powers of the states.
Poor Abbe has dementia now. She was not managing her courtroom. She tried to manage ICE agents outside of her courtroom. She even told fellow judge do the same in tandem, only ending up in having a hostile witness situation (blowback).
Both Dugan and Cervera planned to high five themselves and have Mr Eduardo Flores-Ruiz as motivational speaker at their local TDS club later that week. Both got their FAFO moments.
How does this reconcile states’ rights with the supremacy clause?
Trivially – the constitution enumerates the powers of the federal government.
The 10th amendment gives everything else to the states and the people.
Federal law is supreme inside the domain of enumerted federal powers.
Outside that domain – the federal govenrment has no power.
JS, you mean the gubment that owns your property in reality to whom rent is paid yearly in the form of taxes and gifts the rest to redistribute it?
Trump made me want to switch parties. Democrats are the fair, decent, and reasonable ones.
JOKE FRIDAY FROM ANON!!
Shirley, you jest, but you do post like an AWFL.
well they are right. you can’t fix stupid!. and to think the Dems are any of those you must be stupid.
Democrats, the party of “rum, Romanism, and rebellion.”
Or, nowadays, a criminal gang masquerading as a political party.
Everyone she’s ever punished should reopen their case based on this proof the judge is a irrational loon.
How many more TDS sufferers will destroy their cushy life by illogically and illegally opposing Trump’s policies?
Not nearly enough 🤣🤞
The Question now, is will she be disbarred? We can only hope!
Better disbarred than disrobed!!!!
Really love how you balance depth with accessibility in all your written work
Trump had an obstruction in his throat when he gave Bill Clinton a blow job.
WINNING!
SAME CRAP from ANON daily!!! A 10 year old??
So did Larry Sinclair when he blew Barry Boy…
One is under sworn affidavit, one is under delusion.
Pure class from the Democrat side of the aisle.
Prof. Turley – I am surprised that The Jury did not opt for Jury nullification.
While I could not have done so on this case, I positively support Juries engaging in Jury Nullification
\We need more of it. That is one way to send a message to those who govern us that our laws do not have the support of the people.
I support that even then I disagree with the specific message.
That said the actual case was far more of a slam dunk than I had expected.
Nearly every witness was testifying – “I hate ICE, and this is what Judge Dugan did that I want as far away from as possible”
It was quite clear that Court Clerks, Attorney’s other judges wanted to distance themselves as much as possible from Judge Dugans actions.
That they wanted to Verbally stand behind illegal immigrants – but had no intention of acting and were terrified of being affiliated with those who did like Dugan.
The Defense made an enormous mistake in this case.
There only chance – and I think it was a good one – was Jury Nullification.
Turley discusses why Dugan did not testify.
But she needed to testify. She needed to Say “YES, I did what witnesses say, and I would do it again”
While lawyers can not argue for Jury Nullification – which they should be allowed to.
The defendant can fully own what they did, and claim it was moral if not legal.
That was what was missing in the Dugan case if the goal was Jury Nullification.
You commented on the stellar credentials of the Defense team – and you are correct.
But DOJ beat them – which surprised me.
The primary reason that DOJ beat them is that the Defense did NOT embrace its own strategy.
They allowed the case to become about whether Dugan broke the law.
But they really wanted the Jury to nullify, and to do that they needed to ask.
While lawyers can NOT directly ask to nullify. Dugan can testify, own her own conduct,
and asset that what she did was Morally right.
If you are going to take a moral stand – you have to own it.
Would the American revolution have still been worth it had it failed?
So, in other words, the law is just a sometime thing to you? That will probably come back to haunt you at some time in the future.
It was a crime to hide Anne Frank.
Anne Frank was in Europe you moron. I believe in Poland, what law does that have to do with Ms. Dugan, Who was previously Judge Dugan, and will soon be known as convict #8675309?
ICE ICE Baby — In Amsterdam. Which is not in Poland.
Ok, Amsterdam then, What would that European Nazi proclamation by an invading force of the 40’s era war have to do with any of this?
The D brand sloths are stuck on fascist. If they only looked in the mirror , they then would see the real fascists.
Yes, the law is a sometimes thing unless it is built upon principles, perhaps moral and ethical principles, a foundation or it’s the 3 little pigs story isn’t it.
These are the people who’d defend the police. They’ll govern themselves and thugs will provide justice, mafia-state is a real thing.
It’s hard to care anymore. Just duck and cover.
No MS.
Jury Nullification is an american tradition – one that we have abandoned.
It is also something we got from the UK. The entire concpet of the Jury or ones peers fromt he Magna carte forward is that the final authority on the law – is NOT judges or congress or the supreme court. It is the people.
Jury Nullification is as much a part of the rule of law as the entire rest of our system.
It is the right of the people to say – Congress was Wrong with this law.
I personally would have convicted Dugan. But I also fully support Jury Nullification.
And that means I must allow and accept Juries to nuilify even when I think they are wrong.
I would further note – I want defendants to have the oportunity to offer a justification defense.
Dugan MIGHT have conviced a Jury with a justification defense.
But would a murder ? a terrorist ?
I want the defense to be able to go to court and say “Allah made me do it” – most of us would have little trouble convicting.
Asking for Jury nullification is a justification defense – I violated the law by my actions were moral.
If you do not persuade the Jury of the morality of your position, you go down in flames.
I don’t think we have abandoned jury nullification, we have abandoned civics education.
Basically, the idea is, you have a vote, and we are all counting on you to vote your conscience.
We hope you have one. Also a vote means you decide no one else. That’s what being a leader means: You’re the decider. nullify away.
There is no ‘wrong’ vote so jury nullification exists, just ignorance of it is greater. People are followers.
Your jury vote is your contribution to the justice system, “by the people”. Nullify all you want. Bad law? Nullify.
This is also the reason DEI is so terrible for our way of life. It says “we can’t trust you not to be a racist so follow these (absurd and also racist) rules”.
We HAVE to trust our citizens to do the right thing. We cannot trust our government to do the right thing FOR us.
Yeah – no sense of fear of reprisal from this administration. Nope, not at all.
Not a surprise that few want to risk a 6 month stay in isolation, no phone call to loved ones or legal help, just so ICE can slow roll their investigation into whether a person is a citizen or not.
Most of the laws on the books reflect the will of The People. You seem to put your own opinion about what the law should be above that of the majority at the time the law was passed. Jury nullification should never become a common occurrence. It is to be used exceedingly sparingly. Otherwise, it breeds disrespect for the law, fuels anarchistic zealotry. If you don’t agree with the law, work through the system to reform it.
“Most of the laws on the books reflect the will of The People.”
Most do, all don’t.
Further the will of the people changes.
“You seem to put your own opinion about what the law should be above that of the majority at the time the law was passed. ”
Correct. 99.9% of the time those are in sync or so close that it does not matter.
How many times are murders going to get aquitted via jury nulligfication.
Juries only nullify when 12 members of the jury decide that the law is immoral, and the defendant acted morally.
That is incredibly rare.
“Jury nullification should never become a common occurrence.”
Little chance of that.
I would not have nullified in this case, and seeking jury nullification is trying to shoot the moon.
But the defense strategy appears to have been jury nullification.
If that is what you are going for – you most own it.
And I beleive it is failure to do so that is why Dugan was convicted.
Seeking jury nullification requires saying – “I violated an immoral law. ”
Jury nullification requires persuading the jury you are more moral than the law.
You can not do that successfully while concurently trying to claim you did not violate the law.
” It is to be used exceedingly sparingly.”
Of course – how many times do you think a bank robber is going to seek jury nullification ?
“Otherwise, it breeds disrespect for the law, fuels anarchistic zealotry.”
No, the frequency of jury nullification depends on the frequency of bad laws.
“If you don’t agree with the law, work through the system to reform it.”
And that is what Jury nullification is – a shot across the bow to legislatures saying FIX THIS
How many times, JS? As many times as a charming attorney can redirect the juries attention and turn the trial onto another path via trickery or about 80% of the time.
“Jury nullification requires persuading the jury you are more moral than the law.
You can not do that successfully while concurently trying to claim you did not violate the law.”
A defense attorney told me one advantage the defense has over the prosecution is that it can put multiple possible interpretations on a single set of facts, and he would never cede that advantage. The prosecution has to prove beyond a reasonable doubt, so they can only have one interpretation.
Absolutely, anon.
Jury nullification no more breeds disrespect for the law than does a President pardoning those who express fealty to him, offer him large amounts of money, or are convicted of the same sort of crimes he has committed.
Marijuana, for example, has for 70 years, been clearly seen by a larger and larger segment of society as an essentially harmless diversion. Should that “work through the system” take more a century or more to make a gain on the totally obvious? At some point these massive defects in the legal structure need to have the legs cut off from the bottom as those at the top have no motive to make a change and a great motive to keep the status quo.
DEA needs to have drugs be illegal to drive convictions, to prove they are necessary. It benefits state and local police to have an infinite supply of “smells like” and “looks like” to arrest people and put them on the revolving path from which there is no escape, but does include filling prisons and profiting prison supply firms, if not privatized prison management and slave labor for sale to American corporations.
The country dodged a bullet when the jury convicted her. We cannot tolerate judges openly violating the law. I do hope she gets some jail time plus she should be defrocked and disbarred. That we had so many judges and lawyers urging her actions is appalling. They have forgotten what the Rule of Law really means.
T
There should be a penalty enhancement for obstructing the law while being obstructive in size.
If rape is a crime, then that would make Trump the true criminal.
Let’s ask Juanita Brodderick…
I have a dream that, someday, the Trump name will be destroyed like swastikas were.
Kill Nazis! Long Live the New Nazis!
My dreams have come true! Libs are at the very bottom and losing ground daily.
Except for this today: https://nypost.com/2025/12/19/us-news/gop-rep-elise-stefanik-drops-from-ny-governor-race/
Yes, I read that, too. She’s bailing out of it all. NY kills before you’re born and kills when you’re old now. Will we get colored lights on our palms to tell us when our time is up?
OT
Not a peep today about Jack Ruby showing up in the hunt for Brown murders?
Stefanik withdrawing. Do you think she’s had too many death threats? These happy holidays have had an effect. This is what happens until only incompetents are left. Stock up on fire wood.
Send me to hell orNew York City, it’s still just the same to me. Bunch of rats living in their own filth.
Special elections in long-time Republican districts have a large number go to Democrats.