The F.B.I. arrested a Wisconsin judge, Patel says, accusing her of helping an immigrant avoid detention.

[milestogo]

F.B.I. Director Kash Patel said on Friday that agents had arrested a county judge in Milwaukee on charges of obstructing immigration enforcement. A spokesman for the U.S. Marshals confirmed the arrest of a sitting judge, a major escalation in the Trump administration’s battle with local authorities over deportations. The bureau arrested Judge Hannah Dugan on suspicion that she “intentionally misdirected federal agents away from” an immigrant being pursued by federal authorities, Mr. Patel wrote on social media. He later deleted the post for reasons that were not immediately clear. An F.B.I. spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Brady McCarron, a spokesman for the U.S. Marshals, confirmed that the judge had been arrested by F.B.I. agents on Friday morning. The charging document against the judge was not immediately available in federal court records. The Trump administration has vowed to investigate and prosecute local officials who do not assist federal immigration enforcement efforts, denouncing what they call “sanctuary cities” for not doing more to assist federal apprehensions and deportations of millions of undocumented immigrants.

The Milwaukee case involves a frequent flashpoint in that debate, when immigration agents try to arrest undocumented immigrants who are appearing in state court. Local authorities often chafe at such efforts, arguing they endanger public safety if people dealing with relatively minor legal issues feel it is unsafe to enter courthouses.

In the first Trump administration, a local Massachusetts judge was indicted by the Justice Department on charges of obstructing immigration authorities. The charges were dropped after the judge agreed to refer herself to potential judicial discipline.

https://www.nytimes.com/live/2025/04/25/us/trump-news

[sop]

1. Arresting judges "who do not assist federal immigration enforcement efforts"?

How about arresting DOJ officials who don't follow Supreme Court rulings and federal judges' orders.

[AltairIV]

2. Difficult

It's getting difficult to tell who the gestapo and SS are.

[lastlib]

3. This should be another nail in the Crime Minister's coffin!

It's another step in his march to fascism---a clear tactic of authoritarianism.

[Baitball Blogger]

4. The quandry for judges today: They know this Administration is breaking the la, but they

have no power to enforce the law. This arrest by the authorities is a perfect example of the court's helplessness in the matter.

[Maraya1969]

5. Hasn't that guy Patel committed crimes? I think they should arrest him

[Gore1FL]

6. Why would she be under any obligation to help ICE with their investigation? nt

[LetMyPeopleVote]

7. Statement of Senator Tammy Baldwin

Link to tweet

[LetMyPeopleVote]

8. Maddow Blog-As FBI arrests judge in Wisconsin, AG Pam Bondi directs new threats at the judiciary

The Republican offensive against the judiciary has been unsubtle, but the Trump administration hadn’t arrested a sitting judge — until now.
https://bsky.app/profile/elizabeth11432.bsky.social/post/3lno5vyphck2c

As FBI arrests judge in Wisconsin, AG Pam Bondi directs new threats at the judiciary.
The Republican offensive against the judiciary has been unsubtle, but the Trump administration hadn’t arrested a sitting judge — until now.

Link to tweet

https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/fbi-arrests-judge-wisconsin-ag-pam-bondi-directs-new-threats-judiciary-rcna203061

The Republican offensive against the courts and judges in recent months has been as subtle as a sledgehammer. The Washington Post recently summarized, for example, that the White House has pushed forward with “delegitimizing” the independent judiciary, and there’s overwhelming evidence to bolster the point.....

But the Trump administration hadn’t gone so far as to actually arrest a sitting judge — until now. NBC News reported:

The FBI arrested a county judge in Milwaukee on Friday, alleging that she obstructed the detention of an undocumented immigrant who was wanted by federal authorities on an administrative immigration warrant by escorting the man and his defense attorney though a non-public jury door. The arrest of Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan marks a significant escalation of the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration, in line with its rhetoric about going after local and state authorities on immigration-related matters.

.....Shortly after Dugan was taken into custody, Kash Patel, Trump’s highly controversial FBI director, published a tweet that effectively spiked the football. “We believe Judge Dugan intentionally misdirected federal agents away from the subject to be arrested in her courthouse, Eduardo Flores Ruiz, allowing the subject — an illegal alien — to evade arrest,” he wrote in a missive that was deleted a short time later. “Thankfully our agents chased down the perp on foot and he’s been in custody since, but the Judge’s obstruction created increased danger to the public.”

Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin didn’t quite see it that way.

“In the United States, we have a system of checks and balances and separations of power for damn good reasons,” the senator said in a statement. “The president’s administration arresting a sitting judge is a gravely serious and drastic move, and it threatens to breach those very separations of power. Make no mistake, we do not have kings in this country, and we are a democracy governed by laws that everyone must abide by. By relentlessly attacking the judicial system, flouting court orders, and arresting a sitting judge, this president is putting those basic Democratic values that Wisconsinites hold dear on the line."
https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:4llrhdclvdlmmynkwsmg5tdc/post/3lnnprevixu2y

Link to tweet

“[Judges] are deranged, is all I can think of,” Bondi said during her 18th appearance on Fox this year. “I think some of these judges think that they are beyond and above the law, and they are not. And we’re sending a very strong message today: If you are harboring a fugitive, we don’t care who you are. ... We will come after you and we will prosecute you. We will find you.”.....

Through her legal counsel, Dugan issued a statement Friday afternoon that read, “Judge Hannah C. Dugan has committed herself to the rule of law and the principles of due process for her entire career as a lawyer and a judge. She has retained former United States Attorney Steven Biskupic to represent her. Judge Dugan will defend herself vigorously and looks forward to being exonerated. This will be the extent of any statements or interviews at this time.”