{"id":2614704,"date":"2026-06-16T15:29:02","date_gmt":"2026-06-16T19:29:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/federal-judge-denies-former-judges-bid-to-toss-immigrant-escape-case-conviction\/"},"modified":"2026-06-16T15:29:49","modified_gmt":"2026-06-16T19:29:49","slug":"federal-judge-denies-former-judges-bid-to-toss-immigrant-escape-case-conviction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/federal-judge-denies-former-judges-bid-to-toss-immigrant-escape-case-conviction\/","title":{"rendered":"Federal judge denies former judge&#8217;s bid to toss immigrant escape case conviction"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ffederal-judge-denies-former-judges-bid-to-toss-immigrant-escape-case-conviction%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2614704&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Former milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan&#8217;s recent effort to overturn her conviction on obstruction charges was denied by U.S. District Judge Lynn Adelman. Dugan was convicted by a federal jury for helping illegal immigrant eduardo Flores-Ruiz and his attorney leave her courtroom after <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/former-milwaukee-judge-to-be-sentenced-in-illegal-immigrant-escape-case\/\" title=\"Former Milwaukee judge to be sentenced in illegal immigrant escape ...\"><a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >federal immigration officers<\/a> appeared<\/a> to arrest him. Dugan argued that her conviction should be dismissed based on a Court of Appeals ruling that such <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/judge-shocked-after-florida-attorney-general-tells-police-not-to-follow-order-pausing-immigration-law\/\" title=\"Judge \u2018shocked\u2019 after Florida attorney general tells pol... not to follow order pausing immigration law\">immigration-related actions<\/a> did not constitute a &#8220;pending proceeding,&#8221; but Adelman rejected this, stating the case involved a different factual context. The judge emphasized that the arrest was a targeted operation carried out according to procedures, including the issuance of a warrant. Dugan&#8217;s sentencing, initially scheduled for June 3, is expected to be rescheduled.Her legal team plans to appeal the conviction. The case has been meaningful for the Department of Justice, which highlights it as an example that no one is above the law. Dugan faces a maximum of five years in prison but is unlikely to receive a harsh sentence due to her lack of prior criminal history.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Former <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/milwaukee\/\">Milwaukee<\/a> County Circuit Judge <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4523171\/judge-hannah-dugan-immigrant-escape-sentence\/\">Hannah Dugan<\/a> was denied her last-ditch effort to toss her <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/3927298\/verdict-reached-judge-accused-helping-illegal-immigrant-evade-authorities\/\">conviction<\/a> on obstruction charges for helping an illegal immigrant evade arrest Tuesday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">U.S. District Judge Lynn Adelman, an appointee of former President Bill Clinton, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/storage.courtlistener.com\/recap\/gov.uscourts.wied.111897\/gov.uscourts.wied.111897.128.0.pdf\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/storage.courtlistener.com\/recap\/gov.uscourts.wied.111897\/gov.uscourts.wied.111897.128.0.pdf\">denied<\/a> Dugan\u2019s motion, finding that she was unable to \u201csatisfy the burden required for reconsideration\u201d of a jury\u2019s December decision convicting her of obstruction. Dugan was convicted by a federal jury for obstructing a pending proceeding when she helped Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, an illegal immigrant who appeared in April 2025 before her court, and his lawyer exit her courtroom via a side door after federal immigration officers appeared at the courthouse to arrest him.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/investigations\/4607112\/delaney-hall-protests-revolutionary-left-organizations-funding\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Delaney Hall protests coordinated largely by revolutionary-left organizations<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4606511\/immigrants-tens-thousands-lawsuits-trump-first-year\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Immigrants filed tens of thousands of lawsuits in Trump\u2019s first year<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/immigration\/4606979\/doj-sues-virginia-ice-mask-ban\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>DOJ sues Virginia over \u2018unconstitutional\u2019 ICE mask ban<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Dugan\u2019s argument for why Adelman should toss the conviction relied on a ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit finding an immigration arrest was not \u201cpending proceeding,\u201d in a case about an illegal immigrant being detained by federal immigration officers, who later escaped and was rearrested by federal officers. Adelman explained in his Tuesday ruling that the appeals court ruling Dugan tried to use to justify tossing out her conviction involved a \u201cdifferent factual context\u201d and does not provide \u201cpersuasive justification for excluding the ICE proceeding at issue in this case\u201d from the definition of a \u201cpending proceeding.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap\" style=\"min-height:5px;\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" style=\"display:none;\">Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-15\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-1\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe problem for the defense is that this case did not involve some random encounter on the street. It was a targeted operation, conducted pursuant to agency procedures, including the issuance of an arrest warrant for a specific person, Eduardo Flores-Ruiz,\u201d Adelman wrote in his ruling.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAfter the arrest of Flores-Ruiz, ICE followed its procedures for reinstatement of the previous order of removal, determining that he should be removed from the country,\u201d he said. \u201cWhile this did not involve a contested hearing in front of an immigration judge or other authority, that is because Flores-Ruiz declined to challenge the previous order or make a claim for asylum.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The former state judge had been set to be sentenced on June 3 but that hearing was postponed by Adelman pending the resolution of the motion to toss out the conviction. With Adelman denying Dugan\u2019s motion Tuesday, sentencing will likely be rescheduled in the coming weeks.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap\" style=\"min-height:5px;\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" style=\"display:none;\">Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-16\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-2\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4592904\/former-judge-dugan-urges-court-toss-conviction-immigrant-escape\/\" type=\"post\" id=\"4592904\">FORMER JUDGE HANNAH DUGAN URGES COURT TO TOSS CONVICTION IN ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT ESCAPE CASE<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Dugan\u2019s conviction carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison, but because she has no prior criminal record, she is unlikely to get close to the maximum sentence. Her lawyers have said they <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4406598\/convicted-milwaukee-judge-resigns-while-appealing-charge\/\">plan to appeal<\/a> the conviction to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The ruling by Adelman is a significant win for the Department of Justice, which had paraded Dugan\u2019s <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/3391443\/fbi-arrests-milwaukee-judge-hannah-dugan-obstructing-ice-operations\/\">April 2025 arrest<\/a> and later conviction as a high-profile example that \u201cno one is above the law,\u201d as FBI Director Kash Patel asserted in a post at the time of her arrest.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap\" style=\"min-height:5px;\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" style=\"display:none;\">Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-17\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-3\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Judge Denies Dugan&#8217;s Last Attempt to Overturn Obstruction Conviction<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2638,"featured_media":2614705,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/AP26154573137853_b97f16.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[38298,81258,49347,58023,32285],"class_list":["post-2614704","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-federal-court","tag-immigrant-justice","tag-immigration-enforcement","tag-judicial-decision","tag-legal-case"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/AP26154573137853_b97f16.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2614704","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2638"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2614704"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2614704\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2614708,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2614704\/revisions\/2614708"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2614705"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2614704"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2614704"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2614704"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}