MILWAUKEE — Former Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan has been sentenced to no prison time for obstructing an ICE arrest in the county courthouse.
Judge Lynn Adelman stated, “The defendant is 67 years old with no prior record. I don’t think she has any correctional services needs. She has a lifetime of service to others. This is a person who has done a lot of good in our community. This is a situation where an otherwise good person made a bad decision in the moment.”
He went on to stay “The defendant has also faced threats. She has been required to move. This goes beyond. Any Judge or other public servant who has seen what happened here would be deterred from obstruction. It’s hard to see how adding any prison time to that will add any meaningful deference.”
Dugan addressed the court Wednesday, stating “For 9 years as a judge I strived to do my best to uphold our laws. I am a public servant who was just trying to do my job. I will not let those events of April define my life’s work.”
The prosecution’s Richard Frohling told the court “Sometimes law abiding citizens make bad choices. The defendant was wrong.”
Dugan’s defense team called two witnesses; Greg O’Mara, a Jesuit priest at Marquette University, who worked for the Defense Attorney’s Office, and is a colleague of Dugan’s.
“She is trusted advisor and a good friend,” says O’Mara. “Hannah displays a knack for zeroing in on the core truth. She has consistently chosen to defend the disabled, the oppressed. I do not think there is any need for the punishment, deterrent, or retribution.”
The second witness was former Wisconsin Supreme Court justice Janine P. Geske, Dugan’s friend.
“Her work is defined by her volunteering in the community, mentoring law students. I think of her quiet and gentle acts of courage. She has impacted this community in so many different ways,” says Gussy. “She has lost her profession, and she’s here, humbly, to ask for your compassion to return to her community. There’s no risk to the community. The interest of the community is to have her back out there.”
Her defense attorney, Biskupic says “This defendant is out of her judicial position, and since then, no judges have acted similarly. She has put forth a life of selfless acts in the community.”
Prior to conviction, Judge Lynn Adelman ruled on several objections to the ruling, denying the requests.
Dugan was convicted of federal felony obstruction in December for helping an undocumented immigrant evade ICE arrest in the county courthouse.
The sentencing was delayed several times due to the defense team’s attempts to have the conviction overturned, which Judge Lynn Adelman repeatedly denied.
The defense asked for “time served,” and no additional jail time. They plan to overturn the conviction.
