Madison, Wisconsin.. Federal prosecutors are scheduled to begin presenting their case on Monday against a Wisconsin judge accused of crimes Helping a Mexican immigrant evade federal authorities.
Prosecution by Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan The trial on the obstruction and concealment charges was scheduled to begin with opening statements from prosecutors and defense attorneys followed by testimony from the government’s first witnesses.
The prosecution’s case is expected to continue until at least Thursday, with nearly two dozen witnesses lined up to testify. Duggan’s lawyers did not say how much time they would need, and it is not known when jurors might begin their deliberations. She faces up to six years in prison if convicted of the two charges.
This trial is the latest flashpoint in President Donald Trump’s broad campaign against immigration. The administration described her as an activist judge. Republican US Representative Tom Tiffany, a staunch Trump loyalist Running for governor of Wisconsin Next year, she urged authorities to “lock her up” in a tweet on Tuesday.
Democrats say Trump is looking to make an example of Duggan to mitigate judicial opposition to the crackdown. Duggan told police she and her family found her Threat posts In their homes this spring.
According to an FBI affidavit, immigration authorities learned this spring that 31-year-old Eduardo Flores Ruiz had returned to the United States in 2013 and was charged in a March beating in Milwaukee. He was scheduled to appear at a hearing in that case before Duggan on April 18.
Agents traveled to court that day to arrest him, but Dugan’s courtroom deputy asked them to wait outside the courtroom and arrest him after the hearing, according to the affidavit. When Duggan learned that agents were waiting in the lobby, she left the courtroom and angrily told them to consult with the chief judge. As they walked away, she reentered the courtroom and led Flores-Ruiz out through the back jury door that led to a public hallway, according to the affidavit.
Agents followed Flores Ruiz out of the building and arrested him after a foot chase. The US Department of Homeland Security announced in November that he was He was deported After he pleaded no contest to the battery case and was sentenced to time served.
Prosecutors charged Dogan on April 24 with obstructing and concealing a person to prevent arrest. The state Supreme Court suspended her from the bench in Milwaukee County days later.
Dugan tried to convince US District Judge Lynn Adelman to drop the charges, arguing that she had immunity from prosecution because she was acting in her official capacity as a judge. Adelman refused, It was ruled in September that there was no established immunity for judges from criminal prosecution.
Duggan also argues that she was following court protocols on immigration arrests and was not trying to disrupt agents. According to her filings, Milwaukee County Chief Judge Carl Ashley sent a draft policy about a week before Flores-Ruiz’s arrest, barring immigration officers from executing administrative warrants in non-public areas, and requiring court staff to refer any clients to a supervisor.