(The Center Square) – Opening arguments are scheduled Monday for the Wisconsin judge accused of helping a person illegally in America evade federal authorities leaving her courtroom.
Two of 14 jurors – five women, nine men – are alternates to be dismissed prior to deliberations in the trial of Milwaukee County Judge Hannah Dugan. Prosecutors say she helped a suspect leave her courtroom to avoid detection by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Dugan is facing felony federal obstruction charges. Prosecutors say she confronted a pair of ICE agents in April while they waited outside her courtroom.
After speaking with the agents, and sending them away, a video shows Dugan return to her courtroom. Shortly after she returned, the same security video shows Eduardo Flores-Ruiz walk out the nonpublic, usually restricted side door of Dugan’s courtroom. He made his way to an elevator, and left the Milwaukee County courthouse complex.
A third ICE agent spotted Flores-Ruiz, and was able to eventually arrest him.
Duagn was indicted and arrested about a week later.
Lawyers have been instructed to avoid injecting feelings about second-term Republican President Donald Trump into the trial. The judge in the case has barred jurors from seeing some social media posts about Dugan made by Trump administration officials.
Flores-Ruiz eventually pleaded to both federal immigration violations, and the state charges that he was facing in Dugan’s court. As part of his plea deal, Flores-Ruiz agreed to be deported in November.
