Tipsheet

Disgraced Judge Hannah Dugan's Motion to Escape Justice Is Denied

Amy Curtis
Amy Curtis  |  June 16, 2026 1:30 PM

At the end of May, Judge Lynn Adelman made the decision to postpone the June 3 sentencing of former Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan. Dugan was found guilty of one felony count of obstruction back in December, following a short trial in which federal prosecutors laid out how Dugan tried to help Eduardo Flores-Ruiz evade ICE agents who were in the courthouse. Dugan's defense team was arguing for either a new trial or a dismissal of the guilty verdict.

Today, Judge Adelman denied those motions. It was the defense's second attempt to toss the guilty verdict; their previous motion was also denied.

Here's more:

Federal Judge Lynn Adelman denied former Milwaukee County Judge Hannah Dugan's request for a new trial or a judgment of acquittal after her felony conviction in December.

Adelman issued a 39-page order Monday detailing his decision.

"In any event, defendant fails to show that my response to the jury's second question was wrong," Adelman wrote, adding later that the defense "fails to demonstrate that she was prejudiced by the one I gave."

Dugan had also argued she was protected by judicial immunity, another tactic that did not hold up in court.

This means Dugan's felony conviction stands.

What Dugan did was illegal, and she received due process. That's more than can be said for the victims of Flores-Ruiz who were in Dugan's courtroom that April day, hoping to get justice for the domestic violence they experienced at the hands of Flores-Ruiz.

Dugan's defense team plans to appeal, of course. That would go to the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals.

As of right now, no new sentencing date has been scheduled.