Madison, Wisconsin.. Wisconsin Judge Advocates Found guilty A felony obstruction charge for helping a Mexican immigrant evade federal officers raised concerns Friday about the independence of the judiciary, and they said they hoped the conviction would be overturned on appeal.
The jury found a Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan Guilty Thursday night after a Four-day trial Six hours of deliberations. The jury found her not guilty of misdemeanor concealment. A sentencing date had not been set as of Friday morning. She may be sentenced to a maximum of five years in prison.
The ruling was a victory for President Donald Trump, whose administration brought charges against Duggan and promoted her arrest earlier this year, releasing photos of her being led away in handcuffs.
Deputy US Attorney Todd Blanche praised X’s sentence, saying no one is above the law, even judges.
The case has raised tensions over Trump’s anti-immigration campaign, with his administration describing Duggan as an activist judge, and Democrats responding that the administration is trying to make an example of Duggan to mitigate judicial opposition to the process.
US Attorney Brad Schimmel, a former Republican prosecutor and judge in Wisconsin, denied that the case was political and urged people to accept the ruling peacefully.
“Some have sought to make it about a larger political battle,” Schimmel said. “Although this case is serious for everyone involved, it is ultimately about one day, one bad day, in a public court. The defendant is certainly not a villain. Nor is she a martyr for a greater cause.”
Duggan’s defense attorney told the jury in closing arguments that “the highest levels of government” were involved in bringing the charges against Duggan. But prosecutors argued that Duggan put her personal beliefs above the law.
“You don’t have to agree with immigration enforcement policy to see that this was wrong,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Kelly Brown Watzka told the jury in closing arguments. “You just have to agree that the law applies to everyone equally.”
Duggan did not testify. Duggan and her lawyers left the courtroom, hid in a side conference room and locked the door without speaking to reporters.
Steve Biskupic, her lead attorney, later said he was disappointed with the verdict and did not understand how the jury could reach a split verdict because the elements of the two charges were nearly the same.
Dogan’s lawyers are expected to appeal the ruling.
“Supreme courts should carefully review the serious constitutional questions this case raises about due process, judicial authority, and federal overreach,” said a coalition of 13 advocacy groups, including Common Cause Wisconsin and the League of Women Voters of Wisconsin.
Duggan has been suspended As a judge after she was impeached, the Wisconsin Constitution prohibits convicted felons from holding office. The Wisconsin Judicial Commission, which oversees the discipline of judges in the state, did not respond to a request Friday for information about what will happen next in Duggan’s case.
On April 18, Immigration officers went to the Milwaukee County Courthouse after learning that 31-year-old Eduardo Flores Ruiz had reentered the country illegally and was scheduled to appear before Duggan for a hearing in his state battery case.
Duggan confronted the agents outside the courtroom and after they left, Flores led Ruiz and his attorney to the door of the private jury. Agents spotted Flores-Ruiz in the hallway, followed him outside and arrested him after a foot chase. The US Department of Homeland Security announced in November They were deported.