Milwaukee, WI (August 28, 2025) - Federal Judge Lynn Adelman has allowed criminal charges to proceed against Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan, rejecting her motion to dismiss allegations that she helped an undocumented defendant evade Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents inside her courthouse.[1][2]

In a ruling issued earlier this week, Judge Adelman concluded that there is no “firmly established judicial immunity barring criminal prosecution of judges for judicial acts,” finding that Dugan had not met her burden of showing that her conduct fell within any recognized immunity exception. Dugan is accused of directing ICE agents away from her courtroom, resuming a hearing off the record, and escorting the defendant and his attorney out a non-public jury door on April 18 to avoid his arrest for unlawful presence.

Dugan’s legal team expressed disappointment in the dismissal ruling but stated, “We look forward to the trial which will show Judge Dugan did nothing wrong and simply treated this case like any other in front of her courtroom”. Federal prosecutors maintain that her actions constituted obstruction and concealment under federal law.

A scheduling hearing is set for September 3, with both sides indicating they would like a trial date before the end of the year. Dugan has pleaded not guilty to one count of obstruction of a federal proceeding and one count of concealing a person from arrest, facing up to six years in prison and a $350,000 fine if convicted.