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A Wisconsin decide pleaded not responsible Thursday to fees accusing her of serving to a person who’s illegally within the nation evade U.S. immigration authorities searching for to arrest him in her courthouse.
Milwaukee County Circuit Decide Hannah Dugan entered the plea throughout a short arraignment in federal court docket. Justice of the Peace Decide Stephen Dries scheduled a trial to start July 21. Dugan’s lead legal professional, Steven Biskupic, advised the decide that he expects the trial to final every week.
Dugan, her legal professionals and prosecutors left the listening to with out chatting with reporters.
She is charged with concealing a person to stop arrest and obstruction. Prosecutors say she escorted Eduardo Flores-Ruiz and his lawyer out of her courtroom by means of a again door on April 18 after studying that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement brokers had been within the courthouse searching for to arrest him for being within the nation illegally. She might withstand six years in jail if convicted on each counts.
Her attorneys say she’s harmless. They filed a movement Wednesday to dismiss the case, saying she was performing in her official capability as a decide and subsequently is resistant to prosecution. In addition they preserve that the federal authorities violated Wisconsin’s sovereignty by disrupting a state courtroom and prosecuting a state decide.
A public backlash
Dugan’s arrest has infected tensions between the Trump administration and Democrats over the president’s sweeping immigration crackdown.
Dozens of demonstrators gathered outdoors the courthouse forward of Thursday’s listening to, with some holding indicators that learn “Solely Fascists Arrest Judges — Drop the Costs,” “Division of Justice Over-Attain” and “Maintain Your Arms Off Our Judges!!” The group chanted “Due course of rights,” “Arms off our freedom,” and “Si se puede” — Spanish for “Sure, we will” — which is a rallying cry for immigrant rights advocates.
One man stood alone throughout the road holding a Trump flag.
Nancy Camden, from suburban Mequon north of Milwaukee, was among the many protesters calling for the case to be dismissed. She stated she believes ICE shouldn’t have tried to arrest Flores-Ruiz contained in the courthouse and the Division of Justice “overreached” in charging Dugan.
“How they dealt with this and made a giant present of arresting her and placing her in handcuffs, all of that was intimidation,” Camden stated. “And I’m not going to be intimidated. I’m combating again.”
Esther Cabrera, an organizer with the Milwaukee Alliance Towards Racist and Political Repression, stated the fees in opposition to Dugan quantity to “state-funded repression.”
“If we’re going to go after judges, if we’re going to go after mayors, we now have to know that they’ll come after anyone,” she stated. “And that’s sort of why we wished to make a presence out right here at this time is to say which you could’t come after everybody and it stops right here.”
In line with court docket paperwork, Flores-Ruiz illegally reentered the U.S. after being deported in 2013. On-line court docket information present he was charged with three counts of misdemeanor home abuse in Milwaukee County in March, and he was in Dugan’s courtroom on April 18 for a listening to in that case.
In line with an FBI affidavit, Dugan was alerted to the brokers’ presence by her clerk, who was knowledgeable by an legal professional that the brokers gave the impression to be within the hallway. Dugan was visibly offended and known as the state of affairs “absurd” earlier than leaving the bench and retreating to her chambers, the affidavit contends. She and one other decide later approached members of the arrest staff within the courthouse with what witnesses described as a “confrontational, offended demeanor.”
After a back-and-forth with the brokers over the warrant for Flores-Ruiz, Dugan demanded they converse with the chief decide and led them from the courtroom, in line with the affidavit.
After she returned to the courtroom, witnesses heard her say one thing to the impact of “wait, include me” earlier than ushering Flores-Ruiz and his legal professional out by means of a door usually used solely by deputies, jurors, court docket workers and in-custody defendants, the affidavit alleges. Flores-Ruiz was free on a signature bond within the abuse case, in line with on-line state court docket information. Federal brokers finally detained him outdoors the courthouse after a foot chase.
The state Supreme Courtroom suspended Dugan final week, saying the transfer was essential to protect public confidence within the judiciary. She was freed after her arrest.
How the case would possibly play out
John Vaudreuil, a former federal prosecutor in Wisconsin who isn’t concerned in Dugan’s or Flores-Ruiz’s circumstances, stated the Trump administration appears to wish to make an instance out of Dugan. U.S. Legal professional Normal Pam Bondi or Deputy Legal professional Normal Todd Blanche, somewhat than the U.S. legal professional in Milwaukee, are probably making the selections on easy methods to proceed, making it much less probably prosecutors will cut back the fees in opposition to Dugan in a deal, he stated.
Her attorneys will probably attempt to push for a jury trial, Vaudreuil predicted, as a result of they know that “individuals really feel very strongly about the best way the president and administration is conducting immigration coverage.”
Dugan is represented by a few of Wisconsin’s most completed legal professionals. Biskupic was a federal prosecutor for 20 years and served seven years as U.S. legal professional in Milwaukee. Paul Clement, in the meantime, is a former U.S. solicitor normal who has argued greater than 100 circumstances in entrance of the U.S. Supreme Courtroom. Each had been appointed to jobs by former Republican President George W. Bush.
Related Press reporters Scott Bauer in Madison, Wisconsin, and Laura Bargfeld contributed to this report.
Wisconsin Watch is a nonprofit and nonpartisan newsroom. Subscribe to our newsletters to get our investigative tales and Friday information roundup. This story is printed in partnership with The Related Press.
