A federal judge has rejected a demand from a former Wisconsin jurist for further review of her felony conviction for helping an illegal alien criminal try to elude federal officers who arrived at her courthouse to make an arrest.
🚨 A federal judge upheld the conviction of former Milwaukee County Judge Hannah Dugan, who was found guilty of obstruction after helping a man evade ICE agents at a Wisconsin courthouse. pic.twitter.com/zRVEyDJDic
— SCOTUS Wire (@scotus_wire) June 16, 2026
🚨 JUST IN: A federal judge has UPHELD the felony conviction against former Milwaukee County Judge Hannah Dugan, who was found GUILTY of helping an illegal evade ICE agents at the courthouse
Dugan now faces up to FIVE YEARS in prison, disbarment, and steep fines.
FAFO! 🔥
h/t… pic.twitter.com/7xCdBepW98
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) June 16, 2026
It was U.S. District Judge Lynn Adelman who ruled against the demand from ex-Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan, convicted in a jury trial.
Dugan had insisted on a further review, even after her conviction, claiming there was another case that gave her arguments support.
Not so, said Adelman.
“The problem for the defense is that this case did not involve some random encounter on the street,” the judge said, “It was a targeted operation, conducted pursuant to agency procedures, including the issuance of an arrest warrant for a specific person.”
Dugan was convicted of obstructing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers but acquitted on a count of concealing an individual set for deportation.
Her sentence, which has not yet been scheduled, could include up to five years behind bars.
A report at Courthousenews, explained that federal prosecutors used an expansive definition of “pending proceeding” throughout their case against Dugan, while her lawyers claimed her case should use a more narrow understanding, recently adopted by the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
The report said in the Dugan case, she “obstructed a part of ICE’s investigation” into whether the illegal alien had violated federal law by returning to the United States without permission.
Authorities explain illegal alien Eduardo Flores-Ruiz — the subject of the warrant that Dugan obstructed — was a target for removal.
He later was deported.
Since Dugan’s conviction, WorldNetDaily has reported on two now-former court clerks in Utah who pursued the same agenda.
According to a statement from the U.S. attorney’s office in Utah, Jennifer Joma, 27, and Lauren Kelsey Morrow, 26, both of Logan, Utah, have been indicted.
“According to allegations in court documents, on April 9, 2026, Joma and Morrow were working at the Logan City Municipal Justice Court in Logan when an ICE Enforcement and Removal Officer (ICE-ERO) entered the justice court to arrest an illegal alien for immigration related charges. The ICE officer had an administrative warrant for the illegal alien who was at the justice court for a court hearing,” the government statement explained.
“The ICE officer left the secure area and eventually went outside and waited in his car for his target to leave the courthouse before trying to make the lawful arrest.”
However, the government statement said, “As alleged in court documents, after Joma and Morrow learned that ICE was there to arrest an illegal alien, they took steps to identify ICE’s target. These steps included misusing court databases to determine the alienage of everyone who was listed on the court docket. During their searches, they identified multiple non-U.S. citizens, and before those non-citizens would leave the courthouse, Joma and Morrow intercepted them. ICE’s intended target was among the unauthorized aliens whom Joma and Morrow helped slip out a backdoor of the courthouse. Joma and Morrow led the individuals down a secure area, several hallways, and eventually out of the courthouse without being seen by ICE.”
Two Former Utah Court Clerks Arrested and Facing Federal Charges after Allegedly Helping Illegal Aliens Evade ICE Arrest
PRESS RELEASE: 🔗https://t.co/eGOUlbFAPY pic.twitter.com/qxKdfHystJ
— US Attorney Utah (@USAO_UT) June 10, 2026
The arrests were announced by United States Attorney Melissa Holyoak of the District of Utah.
NOW 2 former court clerks arrested for helping illegal aliens avoid arrest
