Wisconsin Judge Pleads Not Guilty To Obstruction Charges After Grand Jury Indictment

Wisconsin judge Hannah Dugan has pleaded not guilty to obstruction charges two days after being indicted by a federal jury on obstruction charges.

Concretely, a federal jury found her guilty of helping a man evade immigration authorities during an ICE operation at her courthouse last month.

Dugan was arrested by the FBI, with director Kash Patel saying she "intentionally misdirected federal agents away" from a migrant that had a hearing at her court. The man was finally apprehended and is in custody at an immigration detention center.

Dugan's attorney told CBS News that "as she said after her unnecessary arrest, Judge Dugan asserts her innocence and looks forward to being vindicated in court." Her attorneys sought to dismiss the charges against her on Wednesday, saying her actions were in her official capacity as a judge, which give her "absolute immunity from criminal prosecution."

An ICE agent recalled the incident, saying that a "visibly upset and confrontational" Dugan told the agents to go to the chief judge's office to discuss the arrest. Another agent said that Flores then told Eduardo Flores-Ruiz to "wait" and headed to a courtroom exit where officers were waiting.

"Judge Dugan then escorted Flores-Ruiz and his counsel out of the courtroom through the 'jury door,' which leads to a nonpublic area of the courthouse," the agent said. The team later saw Flores-Ruiz "looking around the hallway" before exiting, catalyzing a foot chase that ended with his arrest.

Dugan was suspended from the bench after her arrest by the Wisconsin Supreme Court. She is set to begin her trial the week of July 21.

Republican lawmakers supported the arrest. "Lock 'em up!!" said Rep. Troy Nehls, from Texas, to Axios, which compiled quick reactions to the development. While he was the most vocal, others framed the matter as a consequence of judicial overreach.

"It is abundantly clear that many activist judges around the country have been acting politically in order to sabotage President Trump's agenda, and disenfranchise the 77 million Americans that voted for him," Rep. Derrick Van Orden told the outlet. "Judges are not supposed to write the law, and they certainly are not above it," he added.

In contrast, Democrats called the move unprecedented and dangerous. "This is stuff I expect from Third World countries," said Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) to Axios, adding that "the Trump administration again is breaking norms in how it's dealing with immigration, the legal system, and normalcy.