Madison, Wisconsin.. Wisconsin state judge who was accused She is scheduled to return to court on Wednesday for a final hearing before her case goes to trial next month.
Federal prosecutors charged Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Duggan in April with obstructing and concealing a person to prevent an arrest. A grand jury indicted her on the same charges in May. Ha The trial is scheduled to begin on December 15Jury selection is scheduled for December 11 and 12. She faces up to six years in prison if convicted on both charges.
Duggan’s attorneys are scheduled to spar with prosecutors Wednesday morning over jury screening questions, jury instructions and other final procedural matters. Dogan is expected to appear.
Interim U.S. Attorney Brad Schimel told prosecutors She was offered a plea deal But her lawyers weren’t interested. Her defense team insisted that she was innocent, arguing that she acted within her powers as a judge.
According to court documents, Dugan was scheduled to hear a state battery case in April against 31-year-old Eduardo Flores Ruiz, an immigrant who was in the country illegally. Federal agents learned he was scheduled to appear in court and traveled to the Milwaukee County Courthouse to arrest him.
Duggan learned that agents were outside the courtroom and led Flores-Ruiz through a private door, according to the documents. He found his way out of court but was caught by agents after a foot chase. The Department of Homeland Security announced this month that it was He was deported.
Dugan’s accusation exacerbated the dispute between President Donald Trump’s administration and local authorities over the Republican’s decision. A massive crackdown on immigration.
Democrats accuse the Trump administration of trying to mitigate judicial opposition to the crackdown by making an example of Dogan. The administration denigrated Dugan on social media, posting photos of her being escorted out of the courtroom in handcuffs and calling her an activist judge.