On Thursday, May 15, 2025, FOX6 reported that over 100 supporters gathered outside the federal courthouse in Milwaukee to protest in defense of suspended Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan, who pleaded not guilty to federal charges that day.
FOX6 News was the only television station to question Judge Dugan as she left the courthouse. Reporter Jason Calvi asked, “Judge Dugan, if you had to do it again, would you do it the same? Do you have judicial immunity?” Dugan did not respond to the questions and remained silent.
Protesters voiced strong support for the judge. William Walter of Our Wisconsin Revolution stated, “We are not being given the due process. We’re entitled to and we will fight back against this un-Democratic assault on our American constitution and on our American freedoms.”
Darryl Morin, National President of Forward Latino, added, “I think the administration got out of it what they were hoping to with the headlines. But she has complete and total purview over her court. And I think when some of the facts come out, it’s going to be quite clear, that she did nothing wrong,”
Dugan’s defense attorneys have argued for the case to be dismissed, asserting that she is protected by judicial immunity for her official acts as a judge. On Wednesday, they filed a request with a federal court to throw out the case.
However, Howard Schweber, a Professor Emeritus at UW-Madison, clarified, “Judges have criminal immunity only from judicial actions, like a ruling in a case. They do not have immunity from what are called ministerial actions, like for example, ordering somebody out of the courtroom.”
The case, which is tied to broader national debates over immigration and deportation, awaits further developments. A federal judge will consider arguments to dismiss the case before Dugan’s trial in July. Meanwhile, the Wisconsin Supreme Court has suspended Judge Dugan pending the outcome of the legal proceedings.
Source: FOX6
