On Tuesday, December 16, 2025, Wisconsin Examiner reported that the trial of Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan commenced with testimony from federal agents.

Dugan faces charges of obstructing federal agents who were attempting to arrest Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, a Mexican national present in the U.S. without legal authorization. Flores-Ruiz had appeared in Dugan’s misdemeanor court in April on battery and domestic violence charges. The trial, presided over by U.S. District Judge Lynn Adelman, is expected to last approximately one week, with a potential sentence of up to six years in prison if Dugan is convicted.

The courtroom was filled as Judge Dugan entered, this time as the defendant. Opening statements from both the prosecution and defense presented starkly contrasting portrayals of Dugan’s actions.

Prosecutors argued that Dugan acted deliberately, knowing her actions were unlawful. They cited FBI-transcribed courtroom audio in which Dugan allegedly stated, “I’ll get the heat,” while discussing with her staff how to respond to the presence of immigration agents seeking to arrest Flores-Ruiz. The prosecution emphasized that the Milwaukee County Courthouse is typically a secure environment where arrests are routine, with individuals passing through security screening and being unarmed. They described how a team of six plain-clothes federal agents from the FBI, DEA, Border Patrol, and ICE attempted to blend into the courthouse environment. According to the prosecution, an FBI agent informed a Milwaukee sheriff’s deputy, serving as Dugan’s bailiff, of their intent to arrest Flores-Ruiz, and everything was proceeding normally until Dugan was informed of the agents’ presence.

Security footage showed Dugan, accompanied by Judge Kristela Cervera, approaching the agents in the hallway to inquire about their purpose. Both judges were observed pointing toward the chief judge’s office, after which the agents followed Cervera to consult with Chief Judge Carl Ashley. The prosecution alleges that Dugan expedited Flores-Ruiz’s case, calling it first out of 33 cases on the docket, setting a court date, and informing him he could attend remotely via Zoom. Subsequently, Dugan and her staff allegedly directed Flores-Ruiz to a non-public exit. Flores-Ruiz and his attorney then exited through a door, passing by the federal agents. Some agents pursued Flores-Ruiz to the elevator, while the remaining team members departed Ashley’s office. Agents were later seen on camera pursuing Flores-Ruiz and his attorney outside the courthouse.

Prosecutors accused Dugan of intentionally “dividing” the arrest team by directing them to the chief judge. They asserted that Dugan’s strong views on immigration enforcement in courts led her to overstep her boundaries and orchestrate Flores-Ruiz’s escape from federal law enforcement. They further claimed that Dugan instructed Cervera to keep her robes on during the interaction and that both Cervera and Flores-Ruiz’s defense attorney, Mercedes De La Rosa, felt uneasy with Dugan’s decision to confront the agents.

The defense countered that the exit used by Flores-Ruiz was only 11 feet from the main courtroom entrance. They highlighted the disruption caused by the Trump administration’s deportation operations at the courthouse prior to the incident, presenting emails indicating a “paranoid” atmosphere and concerns about individuals not appearing in court, as well as suspicious vehicles believed to belong to federal law enforcement.

At the time of the incident, Chief Judge Ashley was in the process of drafting a policy regarding immigration enforcement within the courts. Judges had been invited to a training session on the matter, which Dugan was unable to attend but was briefed on. The draft policy distinguished between administrative and judicial warrants, limiting agents with administrative warrants to public areas of the courthouse. Court staff were instructed to direct immigration officers to their supervisors, which the defense argued Dugan was doing by directing them to Ashley.

Three federal agents testified on Monday, beginning with FBI agent Erin Lucker, who analyzed video and audio evidence to build the case against Dugan. Lucker created a transcript and timeline of events, but Judge Adelman cautioned the jury to rely on the audio itself as evidence, not the transcript. Lucker admitted under cross-examination that she lacked firsthand knowledge of the courthouse and its usual operations and had not participated in arrest teams like the one assembled for Flores-Ruiz. She also acknowledged that prior to January 2025, immigration enforcement officers generally did not target individuals for arrest at courthouses.

FBI Special Agent Jeffrey Baker, a member of the arrest team, testified that Dugan “divided” the team by leading members to the chief judge’s office and that she appeared angry during their interaction. He also stated he was not told where he was going or why when led to Ashley’s office.

 

 

Source: Wisconsin Examiner