Ex-Judge Hannah Dugan Avoids Prison for Helping Illegal Alien Evade ICE
Judge: “It’s a marked deviation from an otherwise law-abiding life.”
Former Wisconsin Judge Hannah Dugan won’t face any prison time for her conviction of obstructing federal immigration officials.
In April 2025, the FBI arrested Dugan after video caught her directing agents away from a suspect, an illegal alien, whom they wanted to arrest. Her help allowed him to evade arrest temporarily.
A jury convicted Dugan in December 2025.
At today’s sentencing, U.S. District Judge Lynn Adelman imposed a $5,000 fine on Dugan.
“I think this is a situation where an otherwise good person, upset by immigration policies in this country, made a bad decision in the moment,” Adelman said, according to The Associated Press.
“This is a person who has done a lot of good for our community,” added Adelman.
Prosecutors pushed for a serious sentence, telling the court, “the average sentence for obstruction cases is 16 months.” The crime “calls for 15 to 21 months behind bars.”
Adelman didn’t think Dugan deserved prison time:
Adelman then spoke, saying he doesn’t believe prison is necessary. He noted that Dugan lost her job, now has a felony conviction and experienced threats that forced her to move and stop attending community events.
“This is a few minutes of conduct for someone who has dedicated her life to public service,” the judge said. “It’s a marked deviation from an otherwise law-abiding life.”
He also noted that Dugan’s actions didn’t stop the ICE agents from arresting the defendant outside the courthouse.
Dugan said:
“My acts that day were consistent with the expressed administrative and community concerns for our state courthouse. My judicial acts were not done with any malicious intent,” Dugan said.
She also told the court: “I’ve been cast as both a scofflaw and a hero. I am neither. I am a public servant who was just trying to do my job.”
Dugan said that during her nine years as a judge, she tried to uphold justice, the law and the Constitution while maintaining decorum and safety in her courtroom.
“For nine years as a judge I have strived to do my best to uphold justice, to uphold our laws and constitution, to have a courtroom of decorum and safety,” Dugan said. “I worked hard to uphold these duties every day and I had those same intentions on that day.”
Yeah, okay.
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Why have laws at all??
To keep the pesants in their place.
And trying to that eventually will lead to:
“Ah! ça ira, ça ira, ça ira” . . .
Subotai Bahadur
I thought that was French bit it didn’t translate. What does that say? I hope “off with their heads”.
Never mind, I clicked the wrong link. I found the translation.
In at least one version, in the early 1790’s, the next line is something along the line of:
Les Aristos aux lanternes . I think that will fulfill your hope..
Subotai Bahadur
The communists are destroying the judiciary just like they do everything else. Dugan showed zero remorse about what she did, yet skates with a 5K fine. Professional athletes get 5 times that amount for unsportsmanlike conduct.
She’ll be rewarded with a tenured position at a law school or non-profit next.
Another terminally liberal white female professional that puts precious nons over law abiding American citizens. How many of us has she thrown the book at? How many may she still?
Professor, do laws and guilty verdicts apply only to certain people, like Republicans? Is it now safe to conclude that judges are actually above the law?
Yes. As Lynn Addle-brained proved, If you’re a mentally ill leftist, knowingly defying and interfering with Federal law enforcement gets written off as a unimportant and minor error in judgement.
An
I wonder how many police officers got ““This is a few minutes of conduct for someone who has dedicated her life to public service,” the judge said. “It’s a marked deviation from an otherwise law-abiding life.”” from a judge?
Lynn is stupid.
It’s a good thing that she’s not longer a judge.
Both of these government employees (Ms. Dugan, the former judge, and Ms. Aldeman, a current judge), appear to believe that their opinions are more important than the law.
“She was a judge with the correct political beliefs, so she gets a lessor punishment” is not consistent with American principles.
An Officer of the Court should not be treated more lenient and excused for crimes that would land the rest of the population in jail.
Britian isn’t the only country at risk of a multi-tier legal system.
How far are we from vigilantism … and how hard is it going to be to stop it once it starts
Despite the potential horrors vigilantism will bring, it’s preferred to the ACTUAL slow death this nation is facing, in my opinion.
Additionally, I would prefer things to kick off sooner than later as the end will come that much sooner.
Not far . . . and very hard. Perhaps impossible to stop once started.
eot
Yeah, once the lid comes off it’s gonna be really difficult to put back on. The thing that some don’t seem to appreciate is one person’s villain may not be your or my villain. Once extrajudicial justice becomes acceptable then everyone’s villains are equally fair game b/c the ‘system’ restraining that was thrown off by general consensus. Some seem to assume that the violence would only run in one direction and that’s not how it will play out. Somebody’s neighbor’s Father did your Uncle wrong 30 years ago in a land dispute and your neighbor inherited the property? He’s fair game in that person’s perspective.. We really don’t want to go down the road of personal vengeance and tit for tat retribution if at all possible to avoid.
Perhaps.
Settling for judges doing what Dugan did and watch them get a fine with no jail time is the other option.
Yes, pulling back on vigilantism will be very difficult once it has started, but I again point you to the lovely outcomes you see in news articles every day.
Finding cases where the punishment fits the crime is becoming more and more rare as time goes on.
Might some injustice happen to someone close to me due to vigilantism? Yes. Might some injustice happen to someone close to me without vigilantism? Yes.
Waiting for justice to happen is becoming a cope and sadly our only hope. Not everyone has the patience for it.
I would say that the left is already performing vigilantism. Luigi Mangione assassinated the head of a health insurance company for the crime of being the head of a health insurance company and the constant interference in ICE’s immigration enforcement.
Exactly.
Their dam is trickling.
Our dam is built better, but can only hold for so long.
The trial judge in this case was appointed by Clinton and is in her late 80″s (born in 1939.)
She was in the Wisconsin senate for 20 years.
Trial judge is just taking care a fellow party member.
That’s “his”, “he”.
Senile corrupt leftist.
The Judiciary protecting their own as fellow members flout not just the will of the people but the rule of law combined with Judges more supportive of ideological, emotion based arguments than legal precedent is fast eroding confidence in/respect for the Judiciary at all levels. When the day comes that ordinary Citizens and Executive Branch officials alike choose to become as cavalier towards Judicial ‘orders’ as many believe the Judiciary is towards the will of the People …no whining, no pearl clutching sermons, no rending of garments. Sooner or later the casual arrogance of the Judiciary is gonna get reflected back if they don’t swiftly develop some humility and appreciate that their ‘orders’ depend on the willingness of the public to accept them instead rejecting them.
The judiciary is supposed to be held to a higher standard. But professional political courtesy was extended. In the long run, doing what she did is now the gold standard for all such offences penalty wise. Her sacrifice was not in vain.
The average sentence for obstruction is 16 months.
A cop, a lawyer or a judge should get DOUBLE the normal sentence! We entrust them with a lot of power and the punishment should be harsh when they break that trust.
I would have been happy with 6 months… I would have accepted 60 days… no jail time and a measly $5000 fine is an absolute disgrace.
I dunno about “double,” but I agree it should definitely be more.
A travesty. A sitting judge commits a felony inside a courthouse, but who cares? What a great example of how the legal system should not work. Justice requires, at minimum, loss of her law license. Even a small sentence of 10 days would have been appropriate, though 30 days seems more right.
She supposedly did lose her law license as part of the sentence. HOWEVER, in Wisconsin all disbarment processes must be confirmed by the state supreme court, which takes up to two years. I have not been able to find out if until formally disbarred she is still a judge. If she is, then she may still be protecting Democrats until the Great Separation and beyond.
Professor Jacobson, I would like to second Ghostrider’s question and add in that in view of the repeated miscarriages of justice over the last few years based on political bias’ and protected class status of the defendants; is there still a Social Contract in existence?
Subotai Bahadur
She is no longer a judge. This has nothing to do with her disbarment. Even if that were to be reversed, she would not get her judgeship back.
“It’s a marked deviation from someone who had a duty to know better, and who, while occupying a position of public trust, violated the public’s trust.”
There. Fixed it for the trial judge.
Thanks for the tip. Next time I am facing a prison sentence, I will help an illegal alien escape.
A judge giving another judge that breaks the law a pass is indicative of the rot in leadership. If judges demand respect then examples should be made to foster that respect.
“the average sentence for obstruction cases is 16 months.” The crime “calls for 15 to 21 months behind bars.”
Except when it’s (D)ifferent.
Much like lying on a FISA application targeting a Presidential candidate of an opposing party is only worth $500 and a years probation.
This is the type of person of whom an example should be made – someone with a duty and a responsibility to know the law, and who failed in that duty by abusing the public’s trust. It would have sent the message, “See, even judges will get clobbered.” But no, the unwashed masses, with no duty other than having (a generally untutored) respect for the law, are the ones who get hung out to dry. This is precisely the opposite of the way it should work. Persons in offices of public trust (and on the public teat) should know that they risk being punished to the fullest extent of the law when they act in direct contravention to it, while having obligations that dictate their behavior should be above reproach.
Still waiting for any Democrat to suffer consequences.
If i rob a bank, can i get a similar punishment? I mean, it would be.. how did the judge put it? Oh, yeah, “It’s a marked deviation from an otherwise law-abiding life.”
After being completely shocked over his previously makes-sense rulings, lefty judge Adelman finally comes through, flying his well known colors.
In his handling of the trial, he knew he would be able to help Dugan with a last-minute el foldo.
As predicted at the time of her arrest, the two-tiered justice system always protects its own.
What a load of crap. 5K isn’t even a slap on the wrist, Do the crime, do the time. The End.
She should have a least been sentenced to 6 months at a weight loss fat farm.
Infuriating
That fine doesn’t even cover the court costs for this trial.
1. What bothers me is that she doesn’t seem even now to have expressed any remorse, or to acknowledge that she did anything wrong.
2. Suppose that rather than ICE looking for an illegal immigrant / wife-beater, it had been the FBI looking for a Jan-6 protester / wife-beater, and a MAGA judge had helped the person escape. Would Adelman have extended the same understanding, and given as lenient a sentence?
2a. Bonus question: Same scenario, but we are the judge; would we go easy on a hypothetical MAGA judge who helped a Jan-6 protester escape the FBI?
Borrowing from Mel Brooks….”It;s great to be a judge.”
Normally, when a judge gives a lenient sentence for someone who previously not been charged or arrested for crimes, such leniency is almost always based on some sort of remorse. They’ve been a good citizen for a long time, they made mistake, and it is not likely to happen again.
The not likely to happen again portion comes when the person recognizes the mistake and owns it. That creates a creditable expectation they won’t do it again.
That element is missing here. Now, she won’t be a judge anytime soon so she can’t make the same error again. Still feels a bit off to have such a light sentence.
there is a bigger punishment for silently praying near an abortion clinic.
travesty.
No, there isn’t. Not in this country. No one in the USA has ever been punished for silently praying near an abortion clinic. People have been punished for obstructing people going about their lawful business; for harassing people going about their lawful business; but not for simply silently praying in the immediate vicinity without getting in anyone’s way or face.
Geez, Milhouse. A 10-second DuckDuckGo search turns up this:
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/pro-life-activist-jailed-for-praying-silently-outside-michigan-abortion-clinic-appeals-to-supreme-court/ar-AA1JJiY5
From the article (and this is the ultra-collectivist MSN saying this):
“Connolly never entered the abortion clinic, raised his voice or disrupted any activity. Described by law enforcement as “peaceful,” he was arrested while kneeling in prayer in a public common area…”
They charged him under “a vague ordinance in the city of Southfield that criminalizes behaviors causing “annoyance” or “disquiet” in public spaces…”, but what he was convicted FOR was kneeling and silently praying, which has nothing to do with actually violating that ordinance.
He got 90 days in prison.
Yes, he appears to be a schmuck for previous actions, but not in this instance.
He and his friends invaded private property, made a nuisance of themselves there, refused to leave when ordered to do so, and then when the police came they resisted arrest.
First of all, since when is MSN “ultra-collectivist”?! MSN is nothing but a web portal and is completely apolitical. Second, the article is from The Christian Post, which is certainly not “ultra-collectivist”. And third, it isn’t even The Christian Post saying that, it’s Connoly’s lawyers saying it.
No, it was not. A person can’t be convicted for anything but what he’s charged with. He was convicted of trespassing, resisting/obstructing a police officer, and interfering with a business. All of which he clearly did. The fact that the group was praying was completely irrelevant to the charges, which would have been the same had they been shouting slogans, doing exercises, or playing chess. You have the right to pray in your own space, or on the street if you’re not blocking traffic. You don’t have the right to do so on private property without the owner’s consent.
Not a lawyer so serious question. Can the prosecution “appeal” to a higher court to get the sentence increased?
Sadly, that would seem to violate habeas corpus, where in America that would be attempting to try someone twice for the same crime, in spite of how agonizingly stupid the ruling judge was.
Turns out, some people actually are above the law.
This is literally PRIVILEGE.
Perfect example of how our own legal system motivates vigilantism.
Our legal system is a pathetic joke.
I particularly enjoy how extremely biased it is against any person perceived to be in any way “right wing”, while simultaneously, and on a massive nationwide scale, giving a free pass to lefties – regardless of the crime committed.
So she will do well write a book no one buys yet make quite the bank on. Get a job teaching law somewhere but a no work job. Get on a few Leftists corporations boards but again just a another no work job.
Our Judiciary is a joke.
Heh. Anyone paying attention knew this would be the outcome. Disgraceful nevertheless.
Was she at least disbarred?
Activist Judges, protected by other activist judges. The Answer to this will be messy, but necessary.
Not yet. Now that she’s been sentenced it will be up to the state supreme court to decide whether to disbar her.
I thought a felony meant you did at least a year’s time.
Nope. That’s never been the case. Traditionally felonies were crimes that are eligible for a sentence of a year or longer, but the actual sentence is irrelevant. And even that distinction went away a long time ago.
Of course, originally all felonies were capital offenses. That stopped being the case in the 19th century.
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