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Hannah Dugan, a Milwaukee county judge who was arrested last week on charges that she obstructed federal authorities from detaining an undocumented immigrant in her courtroom, has been suspended by the Wisconsin Supreme Court.
In an order issued Tuesday, the state high court announced that Dugan was being temporarily relieved of her duties as circuit court judge “in order to uphold the public confidence in the court of this state” as her criminal proceedings play out.
Some legal experts have said that Dugan’s arrest is an escalation of the Trump administration’s attacks on the judiciary as it seeks to implement the president’s policies and circumvent the courts.
According to the government’s affidavit, officers with Immigration and Customs Enforcement had planned to arrest a defendant in a domestic violence case after a hearing in Dugan’s courtroom April 18. After learning of ICE’s presence, according to the affidavit, Dugan confronted the officers in the hallway together with another, unnamed judge to ask if they had a judicial warrant. The agents said they had an administrative warrant and Dugan directed them to speak with the chief judge. She later escorted the defendant and his attorney through a nonpublic jury door, the affidavit states. Law enforcement officers were able to arrest the man after a chase on foot.
Dugan was arrested by FBI agents on the morning of April 25 and released on her own recognizance after a hearing later that day. Trump administration officials have cited Dugan as an example of what they claim is a pattern of judges trying to thwart executive power.
“What has happened to our judiciary is beyond me,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said on Fox News later that day, referring to some judges as “deranged.”
“I think some of these judges think that they are beyond and above the law,” she added.
Dugan’s legal team did not respond to NBC News’ request for comment about her suspension. Her lawyers told The Associated Press they were disappointed that the court “acted in unilateral fashion” and maintained her innocence.