Former judge who helped man avoid ICE keeps law license
Then-Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan (far left) leaves the federal courthouse after a hearing in Milwaukee on May 15, 2025. (Photo by Andy Manis/The Associated Press)
A former Wisconsin judge who was convicted of obstructing federal agents after helping a Mexican man evade U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement will not have her law license suspended, the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled Wednesday.
In July, the Wisconsin Supreme Court’s Office of Lawyer Regulation asked the court to suspend former Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan’s law license, saying she was convicted of a “serious crime.”
In April 2025, she postposed the hearing of a man who was in the United States illegally and accused of battery after learning that the federal agents were waiting for him outside her courtroom. Dugan then led him through the jury room exit to avoid the agents, but he was eventually caught.
The state supreme court suspended Dugan from her judicial duties shortly after her arrest. She resigned in January after her conviction and paid a $5,000 fine to avoid a prison sentence.
WKBT News 8 Now has coverage.
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