Remember former Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan? She was accused of helping an illegal alien from Mexico — Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, who was looking at state domestic violence charges — slip out a side door of the courthouse in April 2025 to avoid Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. Although the moment was infamously caught on video, she claimed she was “immune” from prosecution because of her lofty position.
That argument didn’t go so well, and a federal jury convicted her of felony obstruction in December of that same year. She had been temporarily suspended by the Wisconsin Supreme Court in April '25 and retired in January of '26 following the conviction.
Her situation didn’t improve on Monday as a federal judge denied her request to have the conviction tossed out:
U.S. District Judge Lynn Adelman on April 6 issued a 39-page order, denying an appeal by Dugan's legal team and also rejecting the claim that she is immune from such prosecution.
"After surveying the caselaw, I concluded that there is no general rule of criminal immunity for judges, nor was there a basis for granting immunity simply because some of the allegations in the indictment described conduct that could be considered 'part of a judge’s job,'" Adelman wrote.
🚨 BREAKING: A court has officially THROWN OUT disgraced leftist Judge Hannah Dugan's appeal of her felony conviction where she tried to help an illegal alien escape DHS agents to avoid deportation
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) April 6, 2026
GOOD! LOCK UP the traitor 🔥
She helped an illegal SCURRY out the back door, but… pic.twitter.com/AgpfG5oatQ
She helped an illegal SCURRY out the back door, but security cameras captured the whole thing. There's no running from this one.
Fail: Illegal Alien That Indicted Judge Allegedly Tried to Help Evade ICE Has Been Sent Packing
Dugan had argued that she was above the law:
Dugan filed the motion to dismiss, arguing that she had "absolute judicial immunity" and that the prosecution violated the Constitution's separation of powers by "intruding on the authority of state judges to manage their own courtrooms and proceedings."
Yeah, not so much, Judge Adelman retorted in his Monday ruling. Not only did he say there is no "general rule of criminal immunity for judges," but he also argued that Dugan acted outside of her normal duties as a judge by helping Ruiz escape.
Democrats went absolutely berserk over the prosecution, as did the liberal press, even as they run around proclaiming daily that “no one is above the law.” No one except them, apparently.
Remember this?
A court just rejected Activist Judge Hannah Dugan’s appeal.
— C3 (@C_3C_3) April 7, 2026
Her felony conviction for helping an illegal alien dodge DHS agents and skip deportation has been officially upheld.
Lock her up!
No one is above the law. pic.twitter.com/b4VxySLgcA
Although Monday’s ruling was a post-trial motion and not a full appellate review by a higher court (like a U.S. Court of Appeals), Dugan’s lawyers wasted almost no time in saying that they will continue to litigate the matter:
"We continue to maintain that Hannah Dugan acted lawfully and within her independent authority as a judge," the statement said. "The inconsistent jury verdicts demonstrate that the trial proceedings were flawed, and we plan to appeal."
Judge Adelman, who also presided over the original case, is a Clinton appointee. After some of the recent rulings we’ve seen from judges who were put there by Democrat presidents, it’s refreshing to see one actually applying the law as intended.
Editor’s Note: Democrats are fanning the flames and raising the rhetoric by comparing ICE to the Gestapo, fascists, and secret police.
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