Trump DOJ wants judge slapped with 'serious sentence' for helping immigrant evade ICE, but she's not having it

Last edited Mon Jul 6, 2026, 07:49 AM - Edit history (1)

Source: Law & Crime

Jul 5th, 2026, 4:17 pm


Federal prosecutors want a "serious sentence" to be handed down to Hannah Dugan — the former Wisconsin judge who was found guilty last year of impeding ICE agents during a courthouse arrest — as her sentencing looms, but she's not having it.

Dugan's defense attorneys and the U.S. Justice Department have filed dueling court memos ahead of her July 8 sentencing hearing, arguing for vastly different punishments.

Prosecutors say Dugan's obstruction of ICE agents "was a serious offense, and it warrants a correspondingly serious sentence," while her defense attorneys claim the DOJ is using her case to "scare and cast public shame" on others like her who may act "contrary to ICE enforcement at county courthouses." They want Dugan to be sentenced to time served after spending less than a day in custody.

"Hannah Dugan for nearly seven decades has been an exemplary member of this community," her defense team says in its sentencing memo. "She, of course, has no prior criminal record; the offense was isolated and unique; and there is no possibility of her repeating it. She was handcuffed and shackled during her arrest, photographed publicly by plan, and intentionally shamed from coast to coast by the leadership of the U.S. Department of Justice and FBI. There is no need for further deterrence, either specifically or generally."

Read more: https://lawandcrime.com/high-profile/no-one-is-above-the-law-trump-doj-is-trying-to-get-book-thrown-at-judge-who-helped-immigrant-evade-ice/